Newcastle vs QPR Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Newcastle made changes and ran riot at Loftus Road earlier in the season, winning the game 6-0. It should be closer here with QPR looking a bit better since Christmas but you still have to wonder how the visitors will cope with even a patched-up Newcastle side.

The Magpies have had quite a few selection headaches of late and somewhat sacrificed the FA Cup by still resting key players as they sank to a miserable 3-0 defeat at Oxford on Saturday. The return of Jonjo Shelvey, who wasn’t involved at the weekend, could be a big factor here. He is the source of so much of Newcastle’s attacking threat and they should create plenty of chances for their strikers against a QPR side that have kept clean sheets in just 18% of their matches this season in the league.

An injury to Dwight Gayle should mean Aleksandar Mitrovic makes just a 5th league start this season here. He should bully the QPR central defence in the air and it’s hard to see him not getting opportunities in this match which makes backing Mitrovic to score anytime at 10/11 look a decent bet.

Newcastle are the division’s top scorers and average 2.31 goals per game at home but they have conceded 1 goal per game at home too, which is more than they’ve let in on their travels. 69% of their matches at St James’ Park have produced over 2.5 goals in total and they’ll certainly look to take the game to Rangers here, which should lead to an open contest.

QPR have scored at least once in all of their last 6 matches so we certainly can’t rule out an away goal here. They do though come into this match after a poor 2-1 home defeat to struggling Burton in a game they’d have strongly expected to win. That would have been a real dent to morale and they must be a bit fearful heading North, given what happened when they met Newcastle earlier this term.

The Londoners have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last 16 matches in all competitions. With the sort of creative players the hosts have, you’d have to say QPR are ill-equipped to deal with that. There have been over 2.5 goals in 9 of Newcastle’s last 11 home games with the Geordies scoring the vast majority of them and backing Over 2.5 goals at 3/4 therefore looks a solid punt here.