Big Match Breakdown: Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa

Odds and in-depth look at Championship cracker

The weekend’s Championship action kicks off tonight with an intriguing clash between Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa at Loftus Road.

After a shoddy start to the season, Steve McClaren’s men are now motoring. They’ve taken 10 points from the last four games, and face a Villans side with new boss Dean Smith at the reins.

Ahead of kick-off in W12, we’ve got another Big Match Breakdown on the action.

Head-to-Head

There’s not been much to split these sides historically. The previous 58 match-ups have seen 24 Villa wins to 21 for the R’s.

The West Midlands club had been dominant in recent times, with three wins on the spin ahead of the pair’s March 2018 meeting. But a free-flowing QPR pulled off a 3-1 victory at Villa Park, racing into a 2-0 lead before the break.

Likely XIs

QPR have had some decent success playing 4-4-2 this term, including a 2-1 win at Bolton Wanderers. If they go for a top two here, it’s likely to be Nahki Wells and Tomer Hemed.

In midfield, the talented Luke Freeman is likely to start on the left flank, with powerful Pole Pawel Wszolek on the right-hand side.

Villa have consistently been a 4-3-2-1 side this term, regardless of whether it’s been Smith or Steve Bruce in charge. Conor Hourihane is likely to partner John McGinn in a holding midfield duo, behind a front four led by the in-form Tammy Abraham.

Key Battles

The battle between the two central-midfield pairings could be a very interesting one. Hourihane and McGinn are all about class and creativity, while Massimo Luongo and Geoff Cameron have power and experience on their side.