English Premier
2011-12-27 - Swansea vs QPR
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Tuesday 27 December 2011 - Kick Off 5pm
This game is live on TV
Swansea
Both of these promoted sides were expected to have a tough battle to ensure the are still Premier League clubs in June, but Swansea can at least point to their home form as a possible foundation to ensure survival. Brendan Rodgers has the side playing some attractive football too, but he will know from Blackpool's plight last season that that is not always enough.
While the bottom 3 clubs failed to earn a win on Boxing Day, teams around Swansea did manage to earn some points which has left the Swans in 15th place in the Premier League, still 4 points clear of the relegation zone. They have a solid 4-3-1 record at the Liberty Stadium, scoring 10 goals and only conceding 2.
Swansea do play some good possession football, but they have only won 1 of their last 7 Premier League games. Goals had been a problem for the team early in the season and they have hit a slight buffer of late by failing to score in 5 of their last 7 games. The team beat Fulham in their last home game and have won 4 of 6 here- the only exceptions are Aston Villa and Manchester United in that time.
A lot of Swansea's style of play is based around their speedy wingers, but they will likely be missing Nathan Dyer for this game. Neil Taylor is also facing a race for fitness.
QPR
QPR were expected to be the best equipped of all the promoted teams to survive in the Premier League as the owners had promised investment in the playing staff. While Neil Warnock is supposed to see further funds in January, the last couple of months has been tough work with the players he does have at his disposal.
A 2-3 home loss to Sunderland courtesy of a last minute goal from Wes Brown saw QPR drop to 16th in the table, but none of the 4 clubs below them closed the gap on Boxing Day. That means Rangers are still 2 points clear of Wigan in the final relegation spot, although they would like to extend that in this game. QPR are 3-0-5 away from home this season, scoring 9 goals and conceding 16.
It has been tough for QPR in recent weeks and they have gained just 4 points from the last 24 available in the Premier League. They come into this game having lost their last 3 Premier League games overall, while also being beaten in 4 of their last 5 away from Loftus Road.
Anton Ferdinand has been ruled out until the New Year, but Shaun Wright-Phillips should pass a fitness test to take his place in the side on Tuesday.
Head to Head
QPR have failed to win on any of their last 4 trips to this part of Wales and they have even failed to score a goal in those games.
Swansea have won 2 of the last 4 games played at home against QPR, although they did finish in a 0-0 draw here last season.
Prediction
This is a tough match to call as both sides have been in pretty mixed form of late, although I think the edge has got to go to Swansea who have at least been a lot more consistent at home.
I think the absence of Nathan Dyer does take away some of the attacking game plan Brendan Rodgers likes to put down, but Swansea seem much more comfortable playing at home and have made it tough for teams here, while they have a very good defensive record.
QPR have been horribly out of form and there must be some disturbances in the dressing room knowing Neil Warnock is going to dip into the transfer market as soon as January comes around. They seem to be making more mistakes, while some of the recent performances have been far below par.
I was hoping Swansea were going to be a little bigger priced if I am honest, but I do think they are the more likely winners in this game and I will take them at 2.10 to do so.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Swansea 2-0 QPR
