Sunderland v QPR Preview

The two teams which I had predicted to be the two most likely to sack their managers clash in this very vital match. Sadly, only one of the two managers is left to battle, with Mark Hughes getting the sack and being replaced by Harry Redknapp just before last week's games. That should not deter from QPR's precarious position; they are still rooted to the bottom of the table and 7 points away from safety.

A new manager in the team always brings along changes and I expect nothing less from Harry Redknapp. His striking options will be severely limited though, as both Zamora and Johnson are out with long term injuries. He will have no choice but to start Cisse up front in spite of his preferance for the big man-small man combo. It is in midfield where I expect him to ring in the changes. His deployment of two speedy wingers on the flanks brought him success at Tottenham and I expect him to continue the trend with Wright Philips and Taarabt out wide. We should see Park Ji-Sung return to a more attacking central role while the two more reserved midfielders are likely to be Diakite and Granero. All these tactical changes are still secondary to the effect Redknapp will have on each individual. He has already given a big hint in terms of what he wants from the team by saying, "I've got no time for people who lose the ball and stand their with hands in the air." QPR will be playing with more passion in this game, but it remains to be seen if Redknapp can actually mould them into a working unit.

QPR's main threat should come from one Adel Taarabt. He might not be the kind of traditional winger Harry will like, but it is hard to leave a player of such calibre on the bench. Sunderland should have Cattermole and John O'Shea both missing and this should benefit Taarabt greatly. Without Cattermole protecting the defence and the two central defenders, Bramble and Cuellar, not the fastest at closing down, expect Taarabt to have loads of space to launch long shots at goal. Expect this route of attack to produce a goal, either straight from the shot or from the rebound.

In terms of performances, it must be said that Sunderland is not doing much better. After the 3-1 win over Fulham sparked a mini revival, Sunderland can be said to have lapsed back into their usual form, losing 4-2 to West Brom. That is not quite the case though, as their two goals came from 10 shots on target, a big deviation from their other matches where they sometimes only had one shot for the whole game. This is encouraging but I still feel they look slightly toothless in their attack. The loss of Cattermole to injury might tempt O'Neill to shift Larsson to the middle and start McClean but I would advise against that. I noted QPR's weakness against balls into the box and this showed again against Man United. Larsson is Sunderland's best crosser and he needs to stay out on the wing. Fletcher's predatory instincts will serve him well against QPR's disorganised defence and he has a good leap to take advantage of the crosses as well. Craig Gardner should be considered as Cattermole's replacement.

Predictions:

It is always hard to call matches when a new manager is in place but I will call an away win, which at 3.30 looks decent value. For that matter, Taarabt to score two or more pays 29 per dollar, which entices me too. I also fancy an own goal in the match, which is offered at a juicy 1-9.