Blackpool v QPR: Both sides to oblige at Bloomfield Road

“Rangers are the only Championship side to score in all 16 of their league encounters, and the away side have also be involved in plenty of enjoyable encounters”

Blackpool brought back down to earth

Blackpool‘s three-game winning streak came to an end on Wednesday night as the Seasiders suffered a slender 1-0 home reverse to Stoke. Steven Fletcher’s 79th minute goal separated the two sides in an even and pulsating encounter under the lights at Bloomfield Road with Neil Critchley‘s men left to rue two priceless chances early on to take the lead.

Both Sonny Carey and Jerry Yates had great opportunities to break the deadlock; the latter darting clean through on goal, only to fire wide from 15 yards. Poor finishing was certainly to blame despite an encouraging effort from the hosts as ‘Pool managed a solitary on-target effort across the 90 minutes, whilst centre-back Richard Keogh was lost to injury early on.

Critchley changed formation in midweek as Demetri Mitchell and Carey came into the side. The Blackpool boss said: “I didn’t think there was anything in the game until Stoke scored. We did well in the first half, created some good opportunities and looked a threat. Stoke did improve but it should have ended 0-0. Overall, we played OK – it was a performance we can take heart from.”

QPR earn midweek away win

QPR moved back into the Championship play-off spots with a comfortable 1-0 win over a lacklustre Cardiff in the Welsh capital on Wednesday night. Andre Gray‘s first-half goal – his third goal of the season since joining Rangers on-loan – proved enough for the visitors who deserved their victory having given up just 0.36 Expected Goals (xG) in the game.

Mark Warburton‘s men maintained their record of being the only team in the division to have scored in every league outing this term when Gray slotted home after collecting Andre Dozzell’s superb defence-splitting pass. Lyndon Dykes had a couple of chances to add a second as Rangers continued to threaten but the R’s were happy to settle for a 1-0 success.

Speaking post-match, Warburton said: “It’s a very pleasing win that. It is a proper Championship win because we had to grind out a result. We got to half-time 1-0 up and not playing very well, but we showed a lot of character in the second half.”

QPR expect to have Chris Willock back in the squad for Saturday, whilst goalscorer Gray was taken off “as a precaution”, and Ilias Chair also picked up a slight knock. Rangers could look to freshen their starting XI up here, particularly in midfield with Luke Amos and now Sam Field also back in contention following injury.

Blackpool and QPR have crossed swords on just 14 occasions in league football over the past 48 years and Rangers have certainly enjoyed the upper-hand in head-to-head encounters. The R’s have pocketed W8-D5-L1 in recent league meetings with the Seasiders, winning on four of their past seven trips to Bloomfield Road (W4-D2-L1) in that same sequence.

Blackpool 2.962/1 have recovered from a slow transition period following promotion to be perched inside the top-half of the Championship table, just one point outside the top-six. The Tangerines have tabled W7-D1-L3 across their last 11 outings, a run that began when ‘Pool overcame Fulham here immediately after September’s international break.

Underlying data metrics suggest QPR 2.568/5 are overperforming. The R’s sit just inside the play-off places, although Expected Points (xP) rankings place Mark Warburton’s men down in mid-table. However, the Hoops have managed W7-D4-L2 when excluding the runaway top-three, including a W3-D1-L1 return on the road when overlooking the league’s elite.

Defence was the foundation for Blackpool’s promotion-winning campaign and Neil Critchley’s charges have displayed signs of defensive progress in recent weeks. The hosts have silenced four of their most recent 11 opponents and conceded more than a solitary strike on just three occasions. Four of those fixtures produced a maximum of one goal.

Even so, goals tend to follow QPR. Rangers are the only Championship side to score in all 16 of their league encounters thus far, and the away side have also be involved in plenty of enjoyable encounters with Both Teams To Score 1.738/11 paying out in 11 (69%) matches, including six of eight games as guests in 2021/22.

Backing a repeat at Bloomfield Road appeals.