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Two sides at opposite ends of the EFL Championship table bring the year to a close on Friday as Ipswich Town welcome Queens Park Rangers to the Portman Road Stadium.
It has been a tough festive season for Marti Cifuentes’ men, who have picked up just one point in their last four matches, and they will look to find their feet ahead of the turn of the new year.
Ipswich Town came out of their top-of-the-table clash against Leicester City unscathed as they played out a 1-1 draw with the Foxes on Boxing Day.
This followed a humbling 4-0 defeat against Leeds United on December 23 which saw their five-game unbeaten run come to an end.
Ipswich’s impressive first half of the season has put them on course for automatic promotion as they sit second in the Championship table, six points off league leaders Leicester and five above third-placed Southampton.
QPR, on the other hand, failed to give their fans Boxing Day delight as they fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Millwall at the Den.
Cifuentes’ side have now lost three straight games, conceding five goals and scoring just once since a goalless draw against 10-man Plymouth Argyle on December 13.
With 20 points from 24 matches, Queens Park Rangers are currently 22nd in the league table, five points away from 21st-placed Huddersfield Town just outside the drop zone.
Ipswich Town vs Queens Park Rangers Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- Ipswich Town hold a slight upper hand in the head-to-head record of this fixture, having won 31 of their last 80 meetings.
- Queens Park Rangers have picked up one fewer win in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 19 occasions.
- Ipswich Town have won just one of their last six games against QPR, while losing four and claiming one draw since January 2017.
- Cifuentes’ men are winless in eight of their last nine away matches, losing six and picking up two draws since late September.
- Kieran McKenna’s side are unbeaten in 10 consecutive Championship home games, claiming eight wins and two draws, and boast the division's second-most points at home this season (29).
Ipswich Town vs Queens Park Rangers Prediction
Ipswich held their own to see out a draw in their Boxing Day clash against Leicester City and will look to build on that result. McKenna’s men have been near-impenetrable at home this season and we are backing them to close out the year with a win in front of the Portman Road Stadium crowd.
Prediction: Ipswich Town 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Ipswich Town vs Queens Park Rangers Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result: Ipswich to win
Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have been three or more goals scored in six of Ipswich’s last seven matches)
Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have been fewer than five bookings in nine of the last 10 clashes between the sides)
