Chelsea vs. QPR: Thoughts On Upcoming Match

Jose Mourinho – Flickr Creative Commons

Chelsea will be hosting London rivals QPR at Stamford Bridge this Saturday in a fixture which has often been the subject of controversy, with poor refereeing decisions and alleged racism.

With Chelsea coming off the back of a 1-1 draw against Manchester United, and QPR getting only their second victory of the season against Aston Villa on Monday, it promises to be an exciting match. Here are a few things we can expect:

The Return Of Diego Costa

Diego Costa – Flickr Creative Commons

Chelsea’s Brazilian-born forward has missed Chelsea’s last four matches after returning from international duty with an aggravated hamstring. The striker also suffered a groin injury, and fell victim to a stomach virus which caused him to be hospitalized. It was said that he could have played against Manchester United over the weekend, and many expected him to start. Unfortunately, he did not even make the bench.

Costa is now back in training and it is very likely that he will feature against QPR. The forward will be hungry after having spent so much time on the sidelines. If he does play, I wouldn’t bet against him scoring.

It Will Be An Open Game

QPR Manager Harry Redknapp – Flickr Creative Commons

While most teams park the bus when they visit the Bridge, QPR sometimes tries to attack. Harry Redknapp is not really defensively minded so we can expect the Hoops to throw everything at Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho’s pragmatism may have cost him two points against Man. United, but we should expect nothing but ruthless attacking from the Blues in this match. Mourinho will be looking to extend his lead at the top of the table so he will be going for the jugular.

Although it would be wise to play for a point as the visiting team, I foresee QPR going for more. Chelsea, on the other hand, will be satisfied with no less than the expected three points.

Mourinho Will Tighten Up His Defense

Although I’ve said that it will be a game of attacking football, Mourinho will be wary of his team’s new uncharacteristic propensity to let goals in. The Blues have already conceded nine league goals so far this season, something the Portuguese isn’t used to seeing his teams do. While the recent defensive foibles can be attributed to their new brand of attacking football, Mourinho will try his best to keep a clean sheet.

Eden Hazard Will Frustrate QPR

Eden Hazard – Flickr Creative Commons

The little Belgian Magician gets better with every game. He should have done better when he found himself with only David De Gea to beat on Sunday, but he was still a huge threat throughout the match. He absolutely terrorizes defenses when he’s on the ball, and QPR will try their utmost best to contain him. Can it be done? Probably not. We can expect Hazard to put in another stellar performance against Redknapp’s men.

Charlie Austin And Eduardo Vargas Will Pose A Threat

QPR’s two forwards haven’t set the world alight, but they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Austin comes into this game having scored a brace against Villa, with Vargas providing an assist. The Englishman — who has four goals to his name — will certainly be confident, Chelsea should be wary and ensure that they keep these two in check.

Prediction

Chelsea did not get to the top of the table by playing poor football, and the QPR team — which continues to languish in the relegation zone — got a shock-result against Villa. It may play out to be just another routine win for the Blues, but they shouldn’t take this fixture for granted as QPR has upset them in the past. That being said, I predict a 3-0 scoreline in favor of Chelsea.