Against All Odds: Goals galore at Loftus Road

20Apr 2013

England - Premier League

QPR and Stoke are the lowest scorers in the Premier League but Paul Robinson thinks there could be fireworks when they meet at Loftus Road this afternoon.

QPR are all but relegated - 10 points adrift of safety with just a possible 15 to play for. Harry Redknapp was brought in to save their season but after a brief flurry, he actually has a similar record to his predecessor Mark Hughes.

The problem for Rangers has been in front of goal as with just 29 scored, they have averaged less than one per game. Interestingly though, the blank at Everton last weekend was the first time they've failed to score since facing Manchester United in February. Since that defeat, they netted twice against Southampton, Aston Villa and Fulham, and once against Sunderland and Wigan.

Stoke are really struggling at the moment and it all seems to have gone wrong since their hugely impressive 3-1 victory over Liverpool on Boxing Day. The Potters were dreaming of Europe after that result, but it's been back to Earth with a bang in 2013 after 10 defeats in 13 and just one win.

Tony Pulis' men are usually safe by this time of the year so it will be interesting to see if they can handle the pressure of a relegation scrap. They have slipped to 16th in the table, a mere three points clear of Wigan, who incidentally have a game in hand.

Like their opponents, scoring goals has been a problem for Stoke. They are the lowest scorers in the entire division with just 29 to their name, with only nine of those coming away from home. They have to go for it today though as even a draw won't help their cause too much.

The statistics point to this one being low scoring but I have a feeling it could end up like one of those end of season crackers that finishes up with a cricket score. It's win or bust for QPR, and Stoke badly need all three points as well. That's why, with under 2.5 goals trading around the 1.76 mark, I have to make it my lay of the day.