Crystal Palace sit in the lead on the table, one point ahead of Sheff Wed and Southampton. Neil Mellor is on top of the goal scoring chart with 6 goals while Paul Ifill and Chris Sedgwick are on top of the assists with 3 each. Update: Danny Butterfield has recovered from his injury but is still not fully fit. Championship Match Preview:
QPR vs
Crystal Palace
@
Loftus Road
19:45 kickoff: Wednesday 5th September 2007
Referee: Martin Atkinson
QPR Manager: John Gregory
Crystal Palace Manager: Brendon Hedger
Current League Positions: QPR (8th), Crystal Palace (1st)
Form: QPR (X,W,L,D,W), Crystal Palace (W,W,W,W)
Injuries: N/A
Suspensions: N/A
Key Players: Dexter Blackstock, Nick Ward and Ben Sahar
Miscellaneous:
If he plays, Ivica Morner will be making his competitive debut for QPR
Match Prediction from TalkSport.com: QPR 0 - 1 Crystal Palace
Squad for QPR Vs Crystal Palace (Championship): S. Kuqi, C. Morrison
T. Soares, C. Fletcher, B. Watson, P. Ifill
Jose Fonte, T. Craig, L. Cort, R. Scimeca
Subs: J. Speroni, B. Idrizaj, S. Green, J. Hughes, J. Scowcroft
Tactics:
Penalty Kick Taker: S. Kuqi
Free Kick Takers: T. Soares (Left/Middle), S. Kuqi (Right)
Corner Kick Takers: P. Ifill (Left/Right)
Captain: M. Almunia
Half Time: Well a fantastic half to watch. Both sides have been very dangerous attacking. In the 8th Minute, a brilliant free kick from Tom Soares found the back of the net. He then scored off another free kick 20 minutes later to make it 4 goals in 2 games. Queens Park Rangers then scored 2 goals in quick succession and in the 40th Minute, another set play resulted in a goal, Ifill putting one near the 6 yard box and Morrison putting it in the net. Score: QPR 2 - 3 Crystal Palace OVR Stats:
QPR/Crystal Palace
4 ~
Shots on Target ~ 4
2 ~
Shots off Target ~ 1
46% ~
Possession ~
54%
71% ~
Pass Completion ~
80%
74% ~
Tackle Completion ~
76%
1 ~
Corner Kicks ~ 1
1 ~
Free Kicks ~
3 Full Time: A half dominated in attack by Crystal Palace, defending well. Five minutes after Scowcroft was brought on, he hit a stunner in the bottom left corner most probably sealing the win but a goal from QPR on the 85th might have given them a slight chance. Crystal Palace held on though, Tom Soares awarded MOTM. Score: QPR 3 - 4 Crystal Palace OVR Stats:
6 ~
Shots on Target ~
8 2 ~
Shots off Target ~ 1
48% ~
Possession ~
52%
70% ~
Pass Completion ~
79%
73% ~
Tackle Completion ~
74% 4 ~
Corner Kicks ~ 1
3 ~
Free Kicks ~
5 ATT Stats:
3 ~
Goals ~
4
6 ~
Shots on Target ~
8 2 ~
Shots off Target ~ 1
0 ~
Penalties ~ 0
19 ~
Runs Made ~
35 17 ~
Crosses ~ 16
4 ~
Key Passes ~ 1
PASS Stats:
48% ~
Possession ~
52%
70% ~
Pass Completion ~
79%
262 ~
Passes Completed ~
403 4 ~
Key Passes ~ 1
17 ~
Crosses ~ 16
20 ~
Miscontrolled ~ 15
66 ~
Lost Possession ~
70 Set Plays: 4 ~
Corner Kicks ~ 1
3 ~
Free Kicks ~
5
0 ~
Direct Free Kicks ~
2
5 ~
Indirect Free Kicks ~
6
0 ~
Penalties ~ 0
67 ~
Throw-Ins ~
90 DEF Stats:
73% ~
Tackle Completion ~
74%
22 ~
Tackles Completed ~
23
0 ~
Key Tackles ~ 0
46% ~
Header Completion ~
58%
77 ~
Headers Won ~
122 161 ~
Clearances ~ 102
121 ~
Interceptions ~
124 Fouls: 4 ~
Minor Fouls ~ 3
1 ~
Cynical Fouls ~ 0
2 ~
Yellow Cards ~ 0
0 ~
Red Cards ~ 0
1 ~
Minor Injuries ~ 0
0 ~
Major Injuries ~ 0
3 ~
Offsides ~ 2
Match Review: It was a good match to watch, and you weren't going to know who would win until the fulltime whistle. Soares was the standout of the game scoring 2 goals, completing 46 passes, making 7/8 successful tackles, completing 14 headers which included 2 key headers. He also took 19 intercepts and 13 runs past opponents. The other player who played well was Ifill making 2 assists and taking 16 intercepts. Crystal Palace managed a 4-3 win in the end and will keep their top position.