Promotion hopefuls Norwich City are looking for their first win of the English Championship season as they play host to as-yet unbeaten Queens Park Rangers at Carrow Road.
Norwich City
Norwich started the season as fourth favourites for the Championship title at odds of 9/1 with most bookmakers. However, they have had a poor start to the campaign. An opening day 1-1 draw at Fulham, thanks to an 88th minute equaliser from Nelson Oliveira, wasn’t a bad result but they performed woefully in the second match of the season.
They were fancied to easily win at home to a relegated Sunderland side who had lost their best players over the summer. That wasn’t to be the case, as Norwich lost 3-1 with their goal coming courtesy of an own-goal from Sunderland’s Lewis Grabban. Although it’s early days, the current 18th placed side will want to pick up a victory as soon as possible. In a competitive division, teams cannot allow their rivals to get a head-start and that’s exactly what Norwich will do if their win-less run continues.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR finished just two points outside the relegation zone last season and many predicted a tough campaign for them again, but they have got off to a flying start. A brace from Conor Washington gave them a 2-0 opening day victory over last season’s play-off finalists Reading, and that was followed by a 1-1 draw away at play off semi-finalists Sheffield Wednesday.
That draw at Sheffield Wednesday showed the improvements in the side from last term and they will hope for a similar performance in this match. If they can retain their unbeaten start to the season, it could be the catalyst for an unexpected promotion push of their own.
Recent League Form (Most Recent First)
Norwich City – LD
Queens Park Rangers – DW
Head to Head
Since 1973, these sides have met a total of 58 times. Norwich have the advantage, with 24 wins, whilst Queens Park Rangers have 16 victories. There have also been 18 draws. Norwich also have the edge in more recent meetings, with QPR winning just once in the last nine. In that time, Norwich have won five and three have finished level.
The most recent meeting was at Carrow Road on the final day of last season, with Norwich winning 4-0 in a dominant performance. An interesting statistic from previous meetings is that QPR have missed a penalty in three of their last four matches against Norwich.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Norwich start favourites to win this game, just as they did in their previous match against Sunderland. They lost that one and there’s a big chance they will fail to win here against an in-form Queens Park Rangers. The home side are priced at 17/20 with Ladbrokes, with QPR at 7/2, and the draw at odds of 14/5.
With the form QPR have shown in their first two games this season, it’s difficult to bet against them. However, it’s also difficult to give an outright prediction of them winning. So, a punt on QPR or Draw in the Double Chance market at odds of 19/20 looks to be fantastic value. Another great bet looks to be QPR to win in the Draw No Bet market at odds of 9/4. It’s over 2/1 for them to win, and you get your stake back if the match ends level. Obviously, you will lose if Norwich prove the bookmakers right and win.
With the match result being a tough call, we have looked elsewhere for what we think are the best bets in this game. Firstly, Both Teams to Score looks a banker at odds of 4/6. Norwich were the joint top scorers in the division last season, with one of the worst defences, and QPR have shown they can score goals already in this campaign.
If backing both teams to score at least one goal each, you also need to look at the Over/Under market. Over 1.5 Goals in this match is another bet we are almost certain will give you a profit, albeit a small one, at odds of 2/9. Over 2.5 Goals is also likely, and that’s slightly better value at 8/11.
As for who will score the goals, QPR’s Conor Washington netted twice in their opening game and looks fantastic value at odds of 9/4 to score anytime.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for this match is Over 1.5 Goals at odds of 2/9 with Ladbrokes. It may not be the greatest value bet but it’s the one we think gives the best potential of making a profit.