English Premier
2012-08-25 - Norwich City vs Queens Park Rangers
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 25 August 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
Norwich City
Welcome back to the Premier League Chris Hughton- last weekend, the former Newcastle United manager was given a rude awakening as his side were crushed at Craven Cottage. However, these things can happen on the opening day of the season and he will be looking to get a much more productive performance from the team in their first game at Carrow Road.
Norwich City were beaten 5-0 by Fulham last weekend, although that scoreline may have flattered the home side a little. They won't be overly concerned with one result as they did concede 66 League goals last season, yet still managed to survive in the top flight. Norwich finished 7-6-6 at home last season, scoring 28 goals and conceding 30.
One thing that should concern the home fans is the fact that Norwich didn't end last season in great form with just 3 wins from their final 13 League games, so the opening defeat and the manner is a little more worrying. However, 6 of their 7 home wins last season came against sides that finished in the bottom half of the table, while 5 of their 6 home defeats were to teams that finished in the top 8.
Elliot Bennett, Steven Whittaker, Jacob Butterfield, Danny Fox and Elliot Ward are all likely to miss this game through various injuries. However, Norwich will have both Sebastien Bassong and Javier Garrido available after signing them in this transfer window.
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers were one of the teams I was fairly confident about last weekend as I felt they had strengthened well in the Summer and I also believed they were more capable than their opponents Swansea. I am sure I wasn't the only one surprised when the scorelines came in at 5pm and QPR had been beaten 0-5 at home.
It was a disappointing result, there is no doubt about that, but it isn't the stage to panic. Also, QPR were beaten 0-4 at Loftus Road on the opening day of last season by Bolton Wanderers and it was the latter that ended up being relegated while Rangers survived by the skin of their teeth.
One area that Mark Hughes will be desperate to improve is the away form that saw QPR end with a 3-2-14 record last season, scoring 19 goals and conceding 41. Rangers finished with the most losses away from home in the League and they also conceded the second most away goals. They lost their last 7 away games in the Premier League and they have played 13 away games since they last won, losing 11 of those.
Alejandro Faurlin is back in the squad, but may only earn a place on the bench as he hasn't had much playing time. Changes may be made after the performance last weekend.
Head to Head
Norwich City did the double over Queens Park Rangers last season, winning both games by the same 2-1 scoreline.
The Canaries have won their home game against QPR in each of the last two seasons and are now unbeaten in 5 League games overall against them.
Carrow Road has been a tough place for QPR to visit and they have actually lost 8 of their last 9 games here, while also winning just 1 of the last 11.
Prediction
Both sides are looking to recover from as bad a start as they could have made last week, but I think there is going to be a little less nerves for the home side and that is why I think Norwich City will take the three points.
The reason I believe they will be a little less tense than Queens Park Rangers is down to all the rumours in the transfer market.
Norwich have completed most of their transfer business and have brought in Sebastien Bassong to shore up their defence, but the players will know they are going to be given a chance by Chris Hughton and can play their usual game which was effective last season.
On the other hand, QPR will come into this game knowing the likes of Michael Dawson and Ricardo Carvalho have been lined up, putting additional pressure on the current defenders to perform. Julio Cesar has also been linked with the club, so even Rob Green, who made a mistake in goal last week, will be a little nervous.
These defenders are going to be under pressure knowing a mistake may see them lose their place in the side in the near future and that can often see a team struggling for a result.
I think QPR will be fine this season and have plenty of players that can provide goals and score goals to keep them in the Premier League, but a poor recent record against Norwich City and the pressure of new faces coming into the squad may just see them lose their second League game in a row.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Norwich City 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
