Bolton vs QPR Predictions

It has been an eventful week for Bolton Wanderers behind the scenes. They narrowly avoided administration, which would have meant a 12-point points deduction, whilst their honorary life president Eddie Davies sadly passed away. Thus, it should be an emotionally-charged atmosphere at the Macron Stadium this weekend.

On the field this season, Bolton have surpassed all expectations under manager Phil Parkinson and currently sit eighth in table after being tipped by most to be relegated. They have performed well against the stronger teams in the division, beating West Brom away to secure the result of the opening weekend, whilst also drew against Bristol City after going 2-0 up. Furthermore, the team have also come out on top in every potential relegation “six-pointer” they have faced, beating Reading and Birmingham to secure vital points in their quest to remain comfortable for the season.

The team has a clear style of play, direct and focused on scoring from set-pieces and crosses into the box. It has been utilised to devastating effect so far this season. In particular, new striker Josh Magennis has been a physical presence and has contributed with a couple of goals to help drive Bolton’s rise up the table.

Although Sheffield United ended Bolton’s unbeaten run with a comprehensive 3-0 victory against them at the Macron, Bolton’s most recent game against Preston symbolised their season. They battled from two goals down, through goals by Sammy Ameobi and Pawel Olkowski, to secure a 2-2 draw against a side who had been imperious at home in recent years.

With the clear character of the side and now off-field problems have subsided, it could be a much better season for Wanderers fans than first thought.

The same cannot be said for QPR, who have also suffered from problems on and off the pitch. Last month Tony Fernandes stood down as chairman and was replaced by Amit Bhatia after the club was fined £17m as part of a £42m settlement for breaking Financial Fair Play rules.

Under Steve McClaren, things have looked just as bleak on the field as they did off it. The club lost their first four league matches, including a 7-1 demolition by West Bromwich Albion which saw an embarrassing display by the away side in that match. On top of that, they were well beaten by Bristol City to make the mood around the club dour.

However, they did compete well in a couple of those losses. They only lost by one goal to Preston, whilst Sheffield United produced a great comeback to beat them in the second match. In addition, they have also done well in the Carabao Cup, beating both Peterborough and Bristol City to at least give the fans some joy.

Furthermore, since the loan signings of strikers Tomer Hemed and Nakhi Wells, QPR have seen a significant upturn in form. After beating Bristol City, the club got their first league win against Wigan, with Hemed scoring the winner in that game. They also played out a goalless draw against Birmingham in their last match with QPR having the better chances of that game but at least earning another clean sheet. It seems Hemed and Wells have added an extra dimension to their attack and they will need them to keep it up for any chance of staying in the division.

Indeed, although QPR have improved, we think they will come up short against Bolton and lose another match. Bolton look very strong at home and their physicality could be too much for QPR to handle. However, Bolton have looked suspect at times in defence and could concede a goal to a potent QPR attack to make a final score of 2-1.