There hasn’t been a club in any league in England that has shown the same improvement as QPR have done since their deadful start to the season. At one point they were bottom, yet if the win on Friday night, they could find themselves on the brink of a playoff spot, all after just 14 games. They are unbeaten in their last four games, with three wins and a draw during that period as they completely turn around their season.

The visitors on Friday night are Aston Villa, who are having trouble turning things around after missing out on promotion at the final hurdle last season. A defeat to Fulham in the playoff final at Wembley in May was a tough blow to take, and the way they have played so far this season, Villa are still trying to recover. They have brought a new manager in to try and fix the issues at the club, Dean Smith has arrived from Brentford, but he will need time to work out what is needed next.

While QPR may not be the best team in this league, you have to admire the way they are playing right now. Boss Steve McClaren didn’t press the panic button when they were bottom of the league, instead he trusted his players had the quality to get them out of their troublesome spot, and they certainly have done. Right now, going into the weekend’s games, QPR sit in 13th position right in the middle of the table. However, they have a nice cushion over the bottom three, and the top of the table is very tight, so they could find themselves jumping up yet again on Friday.

By playing before everyone else, QPR could move into 7th and then hope that other results go their way to keep in single figures after the games are played on Saturday.

Strong Defensive Play the Focus for QPR

When we saw QPR play at the start of the season, their defence looked all over the place. However, that appears to be the main thing that has clicked, and what has helped them move up the table. Since then they have gradually improved and their defensive record in recent games is second to none. In their last four games, QPR have recoreded three victories. Not only is that impressive alone, but they have recored a clean sheet in every one of those victories. The only goal they have conceded in their last four games came in their 1-1 draw with Derby County.

There is a lot more to QPR than just a solid defence, they are scoring goals too (seven in their last four games) but it is their defensive play that is standing out right now. That gives them the platform to go forward and push for goals, which is what is winning them the games they are playing.

They have conceded 19 goals from 14 games, which isn’t a bad record overall. However, when you factor in that they had seven put past them in one game against West Brom early in the season, that record looks a whole lot better. This will be key going forward, and if QPR can somehow maintain their fantastic defensive play then they are going to be a real force in this division.

Tough Job for New Villa Boss Dean Smith

Being a lifelong Aston Villa fan, Dean Smith was always going to find it hard to resist Aston Villa when they went after him to be their next boss. He didn’t, and signed a deal to join the club from Brentford, taking on one of the Championship’s toughest tasks.

In football, people will often mention that players have a hangover from a bad result in an important game and if you want to know what that looks like then all you need to do is look at Aston Villa right now. Defeat in the playoff final was a bitter pill to swallow for them, and they are yet to show any signs of recovering from it. They were one game away from a return to the Premier League, but couldn’t get over the line against a very good Fulham team.

While the expectation would have been to push again and try and repeat the feat, only going one better this time, Villa may have to settle for a re-group this season with a view to pushing on next season. We are already 14 games into the season, and Villa have won just four, leaving them down in 16th. The gap between them and the playoffs isn’t too big just yet, but they are going to need to turn things around almost immediately to have any kind of impact further up the table.

Despite having a new manager in charge, that seems unlikely to happen so their promotion plans will more than likely be put on hold. This isn’t the worst case scenario for Smith, and could help him in the long run. His task this season is to work out the problems at the club, fix them and then take a long look at the players he has. This then gives him next summer to work out what he needs to do to the squad to make them into promotion contenders, with the aim of doing exactly that next season.

QPR vs Aston Villa Betting Tips

On paper there is very little to choose between these two teams and you could argue that Villa are slightly better than QPR. However, these two teams are trending in opposite directions right now, QPR are flying high and playing some very good football while Aston Villa are stuck in a rut, and struggling to get out of it.

QPR have been nothing short of exceptional defensively in recent games, and it is that what I think will carry them through to a valuable three points in this one. They are strong at the back, and with Villa struggling to fire on all cylinders I think QPR will be able to stop them from scoring and record yet another clean sheet.

This Aston Villa team will eventually get better as the season goes on, but now appears to be a great time to play them, and QPR are more than capable of taking advantage. A win will move the London club up into 7th position before everyone else plays, and that is no more than they deserve for how they have played in recent weeks, they have been impressive and very good to watch.

In the live game on Friday night, I am backing QPR to record a fourth win from their last five games.

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