Queens Park Rangers vs Reading. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance12,330.
Watch live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm on Tuesday; Kick-off is at 7.45pm
Monday 21 October 2019 18:20, UK
QPR face Reading in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday. Coverage gets under way live on Sky Sports Football at 7pm; Kick-off 7.45pm.
QPR boss Mark Warburton has no fresh injury or suspension concerns for the home clash with Reading. He named an unchanged starting line-up at Hull on Saturday and saw two penalties from Ebere Eze help Rangers to a 3-2 victory.
That was the R's sixth win in eight Sky Bet Championship matches and moved them up to fifth in the table. Marc Pugh and Jordan Hugill came off the bench with just under half an hour remaining at the weekend and are options to Warburton should he wish to freshen up his starting XI.
Reading hope to welcome back Andy Rinomhota after he missed Saturday's last-gasp win against Preston through illness. Fellow midfielder Charlie Adam faces a late fitness test on a hamstring injury, while Yakou Meite is a doubt after he went off injured at the weekend.
Strikers Lucas Boye (abductor muscle tear) and Lucas Joao (foot) are long-term absentees. Mark Bowen got off to a winning start as Royals boss at the weekend, with Matt Miazga's strike in the eighth minute of stoppage time snatching the points against North End.
Following a lull over the last few seasons, Warburton has seemingly got QPR firing on all cylinders this campaign. A four-game winning streak, from August into September, was halted by a 2-0 defeat to West Brom, but after the forgettable 3-0 reverse against Cardiff, the Hoops have responded in style, seeing off Blackburn 4-2 and Hull 3-2 in their last two outings.
New Reading boss Bowen might have masterminded a 1-0 win over Preston on his managerial debut, but that does little to mask the dreadful run of form the Royals are on. In the weeks leading up to just their third win of the season, they had lost 1-0 to Bristol City, following a 4-1 thumping at the hands of a ruthless Fulham side.
As the long-term assistant to Mark Hughes, Bowen has quite the CV. International experience with Wales, Premier League experience with Birmingham, Manchester City and Stoke, as well as time spent as QPR caretaker in 2012. But there was widespread surprise when he succeeded Jose Gomes at struggling Reading last week, having only been appointed the club's sporting director in late August.
Fans expressed their displeasure on social media, particularly given the fact Bowen had been the man initially tasked with assembling a shortlist of suitable candidates. In spite of that, his senior managerial debut ended in victory as Matt Miazga netted a dramatic winner against Preston on Saturday. Prior to that, the Royals had lost five of their previous six games, but will Bowen be able to maintain the fresh positivity?
QPR have lost one of their last eight league games against Reading (W4 D3 L1), losing 1-0 in March 2018 under Ian Holloway.
Reading have won just once in their last nine away league matches against QPR (W1 D5 L3), winning 3-1 in February 2014.
QPR have won three of their last four home league matches (W3 D0 L1), having won just two of their previous 13 (W2 D3 L8).
Reading are winless in 13 league games played on Tuesday (W0 D3 L10) since winning 3-1 against Burton Albion in January 2018 under Jaap Stam.
QPR striker Nahki Wells has scored four Championship goals against Reading - he's only scored more against Blackburn and Millwall (five goals).
Reading have won none of their last 12 away league games (inc. play-offs) in London, drawing six and losing six since winning 4-3 at Charlton in February 2016.
QPR have been wonderful to watch this season, mainly because they can't stop scoring or conceding goals! There have been 42 of them in their 12 games so far, more than any other side in the Championship.
Mark Bowen would have been delighted to win his first game in charge of Reading on Saturday, to lift some of the scrutiny and get them back to winning ways after such a poor slump of form. There should be goals here, but I fancy QPR to edge it.
David Prutton predicts: 3-2 (22/1 with Sky Bet)
