9th Aug. England Championship - Queens Park Rangers (QPR) VS Preston North End Prediction
England Championship - Queens Park Rangers (QPR) VS Preston North End
Match Time:09-08-2025 22:00 Saturday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Queens Park Rangers (QPR)
QPR, now under new manager Julien Stéphan (formerly of Rennes and Strasbourg), begins the 2025-26 Championship season after a 15th-place finish in 2024-25 (14 wins, 14 draws, 18 losses). Their pre-season was inconsistent, with two wins (including a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur U21), two draws (vs. Cardiff City and Heerenveen), and two losses (1-0 to Brentford, 5-0 to Toulouse), averaging 1.2 goals scored and 1.3 goals conceded across six friendlies. Key players include Ilias Chair, Karamoko Dembele (permanent signing from Brest), and new additions Amadou Mbengue and Kwame Poku, with a probable 4-2-3-1 lineup: Walsh; Dunne, Morrison, Cook, Larkeche; Field, Madsen; Poku, Morgan, Dembele; Chair. QPR’s strengths are their attacking creativity and home support at Loftus Road (sold out, 18,439 capacity, with fewer than 1,000 tickets remaining), but injuries to Jake Clarke-Salter, Alfie Lloyd, and doubts over Michael Frey, Zan Celar, Jimmy Dunne, and Steve Cook are concerns. They aim to start strongly under Stéphan’s leadership.
Preston North End
Preston North End, coached by Paul Heckingbottom, narrowly avoided relegation in 2024-25, finishing 20th, just one point above the drop zone. Their pre-season was poor, with one win, one draw, and three losses in five official friendlies, plus a 1-0 behind-closed-doors defeat to Manchester City, averaging 0.8 goals scored and 1.4 goals conceded. Key players include Milutin Osmajić, Daniel Jebbison (new signing), and Daniel Iversen, with a probable 3-5-2 lineup: Iversen; Storey, Gibson, Hughes; Offiah, Thórdarson, Whiteman, Frøkjær-Jensen, Small; Osmajić, Jebbison. Preston’s strengths are their new signings (10 additions, including Iversen, Vukcevic, and Small) and physicality, but the loss of Emil Riis and Freddie Woodman, plus injuries to Robbie Brady, Thompson, and doubts over Brad Potts, weaken their squad. They aim to avoid another relegation scrap.
Head-to-Head
QPR and Preston have met 25 times since 2000, with QPR winning 11, Preston 9, and 5 draws. QPR won both 2024-25 encounters (2-0 away on December 21, 2024, and 2-1 away on April 18, 2025, with Lucas Andersen scoring the winner). Matches average 2.6 goals, with 48% over 2.5 goals and 52% both teams scoring (BTTS). QPR have won their last four H2H games and three consecutive home games against Preston.
Predicted Score: QPR 2-1 Preston North End
This Matchweek 1 clash on August 9, 2025, at Loftus Road, London, at 3:00 PM BST (10:00 AM EDT), is a sell-out, broadcast on Sky Sports+, ESPN, and streamed on Sky Go, NOW, and Sofascore. QPR’s Chair and Dembele face Preston’s Osmajić and Jebbison, with QPR’s home form and H2H dominance tested by Preston’s new-look squad. QPR are favorites (+132 odds) over Preston (+210), with a draw at +220. Trends (QPR: 70% BTTS; Preston: 70%) and H2H suggest goals, with betting tips favoring over 2.5 goals (+133 odds) and BTTS (-103). Cards may be issued in the 20°C afternoon if Preston’s physical style escalates. QPR is likely to score through Chair, with Osmajić possibly netting for Preston. QPR’s home advantage, recent H2H success, and Stéphan’s fresh approach should edge out a narrow win, but Preston’s new signings keep it competitive.
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