QPR vs Derby Bet Builder Tips, Preview

Derby may be relatively short strapped for goals- just 33 in their 32 league games so far- but there’s certainly components there to work with. Eustace has perhaps unfairly gained a reputation as a defence-first coach but his sides do carry a threat both in transition and retained possession.

He’ll relish the qualities of the likes of Mendez-Laing, Jackson and Harness whilst Yates and Armstrong are interesting options alongside new man Salvesen. His teams are capable of putting their chances away and Derby have some finishing ability to work with.

Derby have been more prolific on the road lately with only Leeds, Burnley and Bristol City cancelling them out on the road since the October international break. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that continue here.

QPR home games are also prone to goals, perhaps not always at the right end from an R’s fan’s perspective. Goals have been scored in both halves in 7 of their last 9 home games and they’ve typically been on the receiving end in the first 45- only 2 sides conceding more home first half goals than them.

With Derby likely looking for a fast start and Rangers usually peaking between the 60th and 70th minutes I can see there being goals either side of the break.

Michael Frey has been an interesting character at QPR. He’s never really felt like a man to hang your hat on but has been a reliable figure this year. He’s racked up 7 Championship contributions (6 goals, 1 assist) in just 15 starts and boasts the 16th best goals per minute ratio in the Championship across 24/25.

He’s been in and out of the R’s side at points as Marti Cifuentes looks to bleed the youthful Rayan Kolli into the team but Frey has generally been effective in every game when he’s featured- even if it’s not come in the way of goalmouth involvement.

I like the creative talents in the R’s side. Kieran Morgan has been a really shrewd pick up from Spurs whilst Ilias Chair’s talents are well established in the second tier. The aforementioned Kolli and Alfie Lloyd have brought vibrancy whilst Paul Smyth isn’t short of energy himself and that’s before mentioning new loanee Yang Min-hyeok.

They should provide ample opportunities for Frey to get a SOT. Whilst he’s only averaging 0.6 SOT per game, he has managed that feat in 5 of his last 6 starts.

John Eustace will almost certainly be in the dugout for Friday night’s game and having little time to work with his new group, I imagine he’ll revert to type in a 4-2-3-1 shape.

As I mentioned before the profiles in that squad suit the kind of side he’ll want them to be, particularly in wide areas with a plethora of options to choose from. One such area where the position looks clear is the no10 where Marcus Harness seems the ideal candidate.

He offers tenacity, trickery and versatility to the Rams, all traits we’ve seen in Eustace 10s before. We’ve seen Tyrese Dolan, Juninho Bacuna, Hannibal Mejbri and Tahith Chong all thrive in such areas for the new manager and Harness could be the next in that line.

He’s managed just 13 league starts so far which has limited his influence – just 0.3 key passes per game- but I’m confident the new system will suit him. He popped up with 4 goals and 1 assist last campaign despite being in the starting XI just 7 times. In league one the previous season he provided 0.8 key passes per game and I can see a return to those kinds of numbers.

With the quality of Jerry Yates ahead of him as well as the speed of Jackson and the quality of Mendez-Laing I can see him picking up a contribution here.