QPR vs Bristol Rovers Predictions

After four straight defeats, it’s fair to say that QPR made a very poor start to the campaign, though they managed to gain their first win of the season last time out when beating Wigan by a goal to nil in front of a home crowd. With a first win and a first clean sheet under their belts, the hosts will be looking to record another victory when they welcome Bristol Rovers to Loftus Road on Tuesday night.

Even after their win at the weekend, QPR are still in something of a sorry state at present. Tuesday’s hosts have looked very easy to get at, while they’ve not exactly offered much going forward. That win last time out will have boosted the confidence of Steve McClaren’s men, though if they fail to win here it will be back to square one in that respect.

With improving their current predicament in the league being the priority, it would be no surprise if McClaren made changes ahead of this match, even if they do need to maintain the winning thread to build momentum. With that in mind, if the visitors play a strong side, which they are likely to do, then it’s easy to see the hosts, who’ve played like a poor League One team anyway this season, struggling.

In terms of League Cup exploits, QPR haven’t exactly thrived in recent times. They’ve made it past the first round in each of the last four years, though their overall record is patchy, as they’ve won just four out of nine in normal time. They’ve lost four of the other five, two of which came against teams from a lower level. What’s more, QPR have failed to win three of their last six League Cup home games against teams who ply their trade in one of the two division below, while they’ve kept a clean sheet in just two of those.

Bristol Rovers are a side that has done reasonably well in the League Cup during the last few seasons, or at least they’ve done well for a League One side. They saw off Crawley in the first round just a couple of weeks ago, while they also beat Championship opposition (Fulham) last season, before taking a Wolverhampton team that won the Championship to extra-time in the next round.

On top of their recent performance in this competition, the visitors have performed reasonably well in the league of late. The result hasn’t often matched their performance and Rovers have now lost four of their last five in the league, though they’ve performed well in spells, especially going forward.

As an attack-minded team, the visitors, even though they’ve not thrived in terms of results this season, could easily hurt a QPR team that has defended appalling in recent weeks. After all, Darrell Clarke’s men showed that they’re capable of tussling with Championship teams more than once last season.

Neither side is flying high in their respective league, though it is the visitors who’ve offered more in terms of their performances. Consider that in conjunction with the prices on offer, coupled with the fact that this is a game that QPR could probably do without right now, and it’s very easy to side with Darrell Clarke’s men. Backing ‘Bristol Rovers +1 Handicap’ makes plenty of appeal.