QPR v Chelsea
Football: FA Cup 4th Round
Saturday 28 January 2012 - Kick Off 12pm

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QPR

The Mark Hughes era at Loftus Road is underway as QPR beat Wigan at home in their last game to move out of the relegation zone. It has been a busy time for the club with a number of new signings being made, while they are still looking to pursue a couple more players like Christopher Samba from Blackburn Rovers. Now they have a chance to put the League aside for the moment and attempt to move through to the 5th Round of the FA Cup.

There is still plenty of work to be done for Rangers if they do want to maintain their status as a Premier League club, with some indications that there would be some real financial issues if they don't stay up. They are 16th in the League table and have not had a great time at home so far, going 2-4-5, scoring 12 goals and conceding 18.

Rangers have won back to back games in all competitions, both at Loftus Road after going 10 games without a victory under Neil Warnock before he was moved on. QPR had lost 4 out of 5 games at home before winning these latest games against the MK Dons and Wigan.

Akos Buzsaky, Danny Gabbidon, Matthew Connolly, Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell are a number of players that have to pass late fitness tests for this fixture and it is possible that they are not risked with Premier League games scheduled for midweek. Adel Taraabt remains with Morocco at the African Cup of Nations.

Chelsea

The pressure continues to build on Andre Villa-Boas as Chelsea failed to take advantage of the fact that the other teams in the top 5 were playing against one another as they drew 0-0 with Norwich City. I do believe he will be kept as manager as long as the team makes the Champions League for next season, but that is no guarantee at this moment in time.

Chelsea are currently 4th in the Premier League table and they hold a 5 point advantage over Arsenal in the position below them. A cup run should still be high on the priority list for Villa-Boas after their struggles in the League, but this is a tough place to play. The Blues are 5-4-2 away from home this season, scoring 16 goals and conceding 9.

The team are unbeaten in 4 games in all competitions, including a 4-0 win over Portsmouth in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. Even more positive for the Chelsea team is the fact they have kept clean sheets in their last 3 games. Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 5 away games in all competitions, but they have drawn 3 of their last 4. Goals have been a big problem for the team on their travels, scoring more than 1 goal in just 3 of their 15 away games in all competitions so far.

Frank Lampard looks set to miss this game, while players like Didier Drogba are still at the African Cup of Nations.

Head to Head

QPR stunned Chelsea earlier this season with a 1-0 in a game where the away side were reduced to 9 men... Unfortunately, this game is better remembered for allegations made against John Terry, allegations that will be addressed in court next Wednesday.

They have met twice in the Cup competitions in the last 3 seasons, both of those games ending with Chelsea as 1-0 winners.

Prediction

This is another game that has plenty of other things, and not just football, that has people talking and paying attention to it.

QPR will be loudly backed by a passionate home crowd, but this could be a tough task with injuries taking their toll on the squad, and I have a feeling they are still going to struggle for goals unless they can bring in a forward in the next few days.

Chelsea have tried to defend better in recent games and have been successful in doing so for the most part. It is hard to back them at such short odds considering their troubles in scoring more than a goal away from Stamford Bridge, while the absence of Drogba and Lampard places further limitations on their cause.

With the tense atmosphere in the air, I think this another Cup game that could be settled by a single goal, as the last 3 meetings between the two teams have, and so I will take the 'Under 2.25 Goals' at odds against.

The Pick :

QPR 0-1 Chelsea

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Under 2.25 Goals @ 2.30 (Bet365)