Supercomputer predicts where QPR will finish in the EFL Championship table - will Julien Stephan be happy? | OneFootball

QPR are currently 13th in the Championship table with 15 games to play

It's been a season of ups and downs for QPR under Julien Stéphan since his arrival as manager in the summer.

The Hoops earned a 15th place result under Martí Cifuentes in the previous campaign, but will be hoping that the 45-year-old can guide them into the top half of the standings this term.

The Frenchman has had a positive influence on the team at Loftus Road, despite a bumpy start to life in English football.

A 7-1 loss to Coventry City in their third game of the campaign had many concerned about their form, with the team earning just one point from those first few fixtures.

However, three wins in a row quickly followed and the London outfit have since proven themselves as a formidable opponent in the second division this year.

QPR’s predicted league table finish

QPR are currently 13th in the Championship table, with a total of 44 points from their first 31 games of the campaign.

At their current pace, they are set to earn around 65 points, which would’ve been good enough to come ninth in the standings last season.

However, Opta’s supercomputer believes that the London outfit will remain in 13th by the end of this campaign.

The data analytics company have predicted that Stéphan’s side will earn 63 points, leaving them just outside the top half of the table.

However, this result would still be a sign of their progress under their new head coach as it would be an improvement on the previous term.

It has been a promising first year for Stéphan, who previously worked as a coach in his native France with the likes of Strasbourg and Rennes.

This has been his first foray into English football, and supporters will be pleased with the progress that’s been made so far, but they will also be hoping to secure at least a top 12 finish.

QPR’s promotion chances

QPR have not competed in the Premier League since their relegation in 2015, and their best league finish in that time was their ninth place result in 2021.

And Opta expects that it will be very unlikely for the Hoops to return to the top flight this year, which won’t come as a major surprise.

Their supercomputer has given Stéphan’s side a 0.02 per cent chance of a top two finish, and a 6.52 per cent chance of winning the play-offs.

However, the club can also take some solace from the fact that their relegation percentage is just 0.18, meaning their place in the second tier is all but secured at this early stage of the term.

Their total of 42.9 expected points (xP) matches fairly close to their real total of points, with a slight over-performance in their overall results this season.

Injuries have also been a big factor for the club this season, so perhaps keeping everyone fit for the remaining months could see an improvement in their underlying numbers.

With 15 games to go, it is far from set in stone that QPR will remain in 13th place when the regular campaign comes to an end on 2 May.