By Daniel Wood – KLTV Contributor
Huddersfield Town will host Queens Park Rangers at the John Smiths Stadium in the SkyBet Championship on Saturday 5th December; 3pm KO.
Team News – Huddersfield Town
The Terriers currently sit 16th in the Championship table. They are eight points ahead of the bottom three and eight points behind the play-off places.
They come into this game having lost 3-0 to Cardiff City away from home. This means they have only won one game in their last six.
Once again, Town had more possession in the game which seems to be a common trend for them this season. However, once again they failed to make their possession count, as they could not find a way past the Cardiff City defence.
The Terriers were without Tommy Elphick (knee) and Richard Stearman (hamstring) in their last outing against Cardiff City.
Team News – Queens Park Rangers
QPR currently sit 17th in the Championship table, one place below the Terriers. They are seven points ahead of the bottom three.
Last time out, QPR lost 2-1 away to Bristol City. They now have two loses in a row due to the result and have only won one of their last five games.
In last seasons table, QPR finished 13th after an average season. Their points total was closer to the bottom three than it was to the play-off places.
QPR’s manager, Mark Warburton, took charge of the club in May 2019 and has a 31.82%-win rate at the club. This is Warburton’s worst win rate as a manager.
He also was head coach of Nottingham Forest from March 2017 to December 2017 but departed after obtaining a 40.54%-win rate.
He was Rangers coach from June 2015 to February 2017, winning most of his games (65.85%-win rate). He was also Brentford coach from December 2013 to May 2015 (51.28%-win rate).
As far as his playing career goes, he only played professionally for Enfield and Boreham Wood.
Ones to Watch
BRIGHT OSAYI-SAMUEL
One of the league’s hottest commodities, the 22-year-old winger joined from Blackpool in 2017 and is now a regular in the Championship. He can play on both wings and has scored two goals this season, providing three assists. Bristol City manager praised Bright’s performance against his own club in the last game. Mark Warburton has said that he is destined for the Premier League.
ILLIAS CHAIR
The 23-year old joined QPR from Lierse after a successful trial in January 2017. He has often played in centre attacking midfield or off the left side and his 5”2 height can prove to be tricky to defenders. He has been a key man for QPR this season and has provided four goals in 15 Championship games for the Hoops this season.
SENY DIENG
The Swiss goalkeeper joined QPR back in 2017, having played for Red Star Zurich, Grasshoppers and FC Grenchen. He has also played for English clubs Stevenage and Doncaster Rovers. Mark Warburton has described him as ‘outstanding’ in his post-match press conference after the defeat to Bristol City in midweek.
Predictions
Since their first meeting in 1932, both teams have won an equal number of games against each other. They have both won 13 times and there have been nine draws.
The Terriers are unbeaten against QPR in their last five games. Their last defeat to the Hoops came in August 2015. Last time the teams played, Town beat QPR 2-0 at home in last seasons Championship campaign.
Both teams come into this game in similar form having both only won one of their last five games and both teams lost their last games.
They are sat directly next to each other in the Championship table, 16th and 17th respectively.
On paper, both sides have similar quality and I feel as though it will be a tough game.
I see Huddersfield Town once again having the most possession in the game, but this time I expect them to find the back of the net. A draw seems the more likely outcome of the game, but with how the Terriers’ season has been going so far, anything could happen.
Therefore, I predict: