Crystal Palace v QPR Preview

Posted on | April 10, 2010 | No Comments

Crystal Palace go into this game still ranked as one of the prime relegation candidates, although QPR certainly won’t roll over and make it easy for them. There’s still a chance that Rangers could suffer relegation and with the club sat in 18^th just three points above the bottom three, they need a win or two to guarantee survival. Of course, the game has that extra spice through Neil Warnock. Warnock was Palace’s manager just a few weeks ago only to jump over to their London rivals once the club entered administration.

Had it not been for administration, Crystal Palace would be safely in the top half without a care in the world. They’d also probably still have Neil Warnock, who left to join QPR when the administrators agreed a deal with the Loftus Road outfit. Their current position certainly isn’t healthy and the man who replaced Warnock, Paul Hart, was coincidently at QPR earlier in the season! Hart certainly has a job to keep the club in the division although as it stands, Palace are out of the relegation zone. They currently sit on forty six points but with just one point keeping them out of the bottom three, it’s certainly going to be an extremely tense season finale.

QPR are on a different planet in terms of financial muscle power and some regard the Hoops as one of the richest clubs in the world considering their backers. However, while they may dominate a lot of teams in terms of resources, they are right down there in the league and their status is still not guaranteed. They sit just two points ahead of Palace, three away from the drop zone, meaning that absolutely anything could happen in their final five games of the season. The last time they recorded a victory was early March and having been thrashed 4-0 in their last game at Leicester, Neil Warnock could be slightly worried.

Palace come into this one with two doubts, as Danny Butterfield and Alan Lee both prepare for late fitness tests. However, Paul Hart will welcome back Lee Hills from suspension, meaning he has some freedom to alternate his defence. The visitors on the other hand are set for a change between the sticks after Carl Ikeme returned to parent club Wolves following a loan spell. Radek Cerny is set to be the man to replace Ikeme, although the former Tottenham shot-stopper has not featured since the start of the year. Elsewhere, Matt Connolly is struggling with an ankle problem and a late decision will be made on him.

Palace hold the home advantage in this one and we feel that could make all the difference. Palace’s form is far superior to the R’s and with that, we’re going to predict a narrow 2-1 victory for Paul Hart’s men.

Related posts:

1. Crystal Palace v Sheffield United Preview
2. Sheffield United v Crystal Palace Preview
3. Cardiff v Crystal Palace Preview
4. Crystal Palace v Coventry Preview
5. Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace Preview

Comments