Queens Park Rangers v Plymouth Argyle: Why to back QPR to win at 10/11 on Sunday | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Ryan Deeney previews Queens Park Rangers v Plymouth Argyle in the Championship

Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle meet at Matrade Loftus Road early on Saturday looking for a first league win of the season - Ryan Deeney is backing the hosts to pick up the three points.

Queens Park Rangers v Plymouth Argyle

The EFL Championship's live offering on Saturday afternoon pits Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle up against one another at Matrade Loftus Road.

Both sides enter the game looking for a first win of the 2024-25 season having responded to an opening day loss with a draw in fixture number two.

Queens Park Rangers have faced the tougher fixtures of the two, going down to West Bromwich Albion before rescuing a point from 2-0 down at Sheffield United. Both opponents will be aiming for the top six this year.

The Pilgrims, meanwhile, were trounced on opening day at Hillsborough in a very concerning display and will have welcomed the 1-1 draw against Hull City to stop the rot.

Plymouth are vulnerable

What we have come to know about Wayne Rooney sides is that they want to be adventurous but the data often suggests they aren't particularly good at it.

His Derby County side sat in the bottom five for xGD while his Birmingham City team were a trainwreck defensively and the signs aren't particularly positive here. Sheffield Wednesday created a whopping 4.4xG on opening day while they conceded 14 shots against a Hull City side that are undercooked to start the campaign.

While defensive woes are likely, their brazen approach isn't exactly wielding much in the way of chance creation. They are yet to create a single big chance and their 16 efforts on goal against Hull City wielded shy of 0.7xG.

There is no denying that Plymouth have wildcard individuals that can produce at any moment - Morgan Whittaker and Ibrahim Cissoko are certainly capable - but relying on moments isn't sustainable.

New bodies in at QPR

The challenge is therefore set for Marti Cifuentes' QPR to pick up a first victory in front of an expectant home crowd.

A key reason for QPR's rise away from the danger zone last season was an excellent defensive record. That has been missing so far but limitations in attack, combined with the quality of opposition, have put them under more pressure.

It's why the arrivals of Karamoko Dembele and Koki Saito, both of whom grabbed an assist at Bramall Lane last Saturday, should prove key. Not least because their quality from wide areas and forward running work well against the space that Wayne Rooney sides so often leave in behind.

The stability of QPR coupled with the additional quality and space to expose is the reason we're backing them here. Neither side is creating chances galore and their games haven't gone over four goals yet, so we're adding under 4.5 goals to the bet to increase the odds.