Watford v Queens Park Rangers: Prediction, Tips and Odds

There were modest pre-season expectations of Watford, but they started the Championship campaign with three straight league victories and are fifth after 17 games.

Tom Cleverley’s side have turned their Hertfordshire base into a fortress - collecting 22 points from eight games - and will be targeting a victory over QPR, who have been in the relegation zone for the last eight weeks.

Rangers have registered just two league wins, although the latest came on Wednesday when they triumphed 2-0 away to fellow strugglers Cardiff City.

Watford v Queens Park Rangers betting tips and predictions

Watford to win - 17/20

Watford were far from their best when grinding out a 1-0 victory at home to Bristol City on Tuesday, but they have got themselves into the Championship play-offs and can stay there for at least another week by defeating QPR.

Superb home form has been key to Watford’s progress. They are unbeaten in 14 matches at Vicarage Road and approach this fixture on a sequence of five straight home successes.

Cleverley’s side are the division’s joint-fourth highest scorers with 26 goals and they showed a steely side in the midweek victory over the Robins, who played an aggressive, front-foot style of football.

The R's are likely to adopt very different tactics as they continue the process of trying to climb out of the drop zone.

The Londoners climbed off the foot of the table with Wednesday’s 2-0 triumph away to fellow strugglers Cardiff, but they had to ride their luck in the Welsh capital, where the shot count finished 24 to 10 in the home team’s favour.

Hoops goalkeeper Paul Nardi made a string of superb saves against the Bluebirds, who were handed a knockout blow in injury-time by Zan Celar’s second goal of the evening.

But QPR looked a leggy side for periods of the second half and the short turnaround makes it tough for them to recover their energy levels.

Marti Cifuentes’s side have collected nine of their 14 points on the road, but they are up against one of the most reliable home teams in the division and may struggle to cope.

Giorgi Chakvetadze over 0.5 assists - 5/1

Watford’s outstanding player this season has been classy attacker Giorgi Chakvetadze, who has been lighting up games with his superb dribbling and passing skills.

The 25-year-old has totted up four assists and one goal, which is a pretty meagre return given the consistently high standard of his performances.

Chakvetadze has delivered 43 passes which have led to an attempt on goal, putting him third in the division in that particular metric.

The Georgia international’s assist numbers would be higher if a few of his team-mates had shown a bit more composure in front of goal, but he is unlikely to get too disheartened and his intelligent build-up play may contribute to a matchwinning moment this weekend.

Ryan Porteous to be carded - 11/5

Home defender Ryan Porteous is joint top of the Championship card count with seven and he looks a strong yellow-card candidate this weekend.

The 25-year-old Scotland international usually plays on the right side of the Hornets defence and can be left exposed due to the attacking instincts of regular right wing-back Ryan Andrews.

Regular forays forward from Andrews can be beneficial to Watford, as was the case on Tuesday when the 20-year-old lashed in the winning goal in the narrow victory over Bristol City.

But Porteous can be left with a lot of space to cover and is often far from reliable with his tackling. He has gone into the book in six of his last nine appearances and looks a likely candidate to be cautioned against QPR.

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Watford v Queens Park Rangers odds

Watford - 17/20
Draw - 13/5
Queens Park Rangers - 3/1

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.