Liverpool vs Queens Park Rangers - Competition: English Premier League
Liverpool still hold slim hopes of reaching the top 4
despite falling to a catastrophic defeat on Monday. Hull City stifled
the Reds at the KC Stadium, taking all of the spoils in a 1:0 shutout
despite Liverpool enjoying 69% of the possession and having 9 shots on
target. Now the Merseysiders sit at 7 points adrift 4th place, and with
just 4 matches remaining, the gap is likely too large to make up by
season’s end.
However, there is still all to play for here as
Liverpool still need to at least qualify for the UEL, and
their guaranteed spot has come under threat from both Spurs and
Southampton. The hosts hold a tentative 1-point lead on the Saints while
sitting even on points with the Spurs, and they’ll know that any
slip-up now could see their season end in catastrophic fashion. 7th
place may yet come open for a Europa League qualification spot if
Arsenal win the F.A. Cup Final later this month, but Brendan Rodgers
will want to avoid any further late season drama. He will take
confidence from the fact that the hosts have won 6 of their last 7
encounters with Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League and their last 3 in a row.
Furthermore, they are unbeaten in their last 7 meetings at Anfield
against the visitors, with their last 3 meetings there all ending in 1:0
wins for the hosts.
QPR team are playing well right now but
aren’t picking up the points they desperately need. While they have gone
unbeaten in 3 of their last 4 Premier League outings, they have only
picked up 5 total points, and last weekend’s 0:0 draw could come back to
haunt them in the end. They outclassed West Ham on the day but simply
couldn’t find a way to hit the back of the net despite seeing 7 of their
18 shots hit the target. Charlie Austin will be kicking himself after
missing a crucial penalty kick in the 23rd minute, but it’s important
the Englishman has a short memory here and produces some magic at
Anfield.
However, the fact remains that QPR’s goalscoring
struggles have returned in the last 2 weeks, and while they did hit 2
past the Reds in their first meeting this season, they were at home and
will face a side that has conceded just 5 total goals over their last 8
competitive matches at Anfield. In addition, Queens Park Rangers have managed to score
just 3 goals in their last 7 away games against the Merseyside club.
They have lost 13 of their 16 Premier League road matches this season,
and considering the fact that they continue to struggle with their
defensive work away from home (most away goals conceded in the Premier League),
things are not looking good for their survival chances as the season’s
end draws near.
Probable lineups:
Liverpool: Mignolet – Emre Can, Skrtel, Lovren – Johnson, Henderson, Allen, Lallana – Markovic, Sterling, Coutinho.
Queens Park Rangers: Green – Onuoha, Caulker, Dunne, Yoon – Phillips, Sandro, Barton, Fer – Zamora, Austin.
Match date: 2 May 2015
Kick Off Time: 15:00 BST
Kick Off Time: 15:00 BST
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
