Match Preview: Queens Park Rangers (H)

7 April 2022

Preston North End will look to build on their midweek Lancashire derby victory when Play-Off hopefuls Queens Park Rangers come to Deepdale this weekend.

Match Information
Venue: Deepdale
Date: Saturday 9^th April, 3pm kick-off
Competition: EFL Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 41/46)
Kit: Home kit – available to order here!

Supporter Information

Tickets for this fixture will remain on sale right up until kick-off in person, over the phone and online from www.mypne.com, and home supporters are once again able to buy tickets in the Bill Shankly Kop!

Season card holders who wish to relocate to the Kop for this fixture can do so by visiting the ticket office at Deepdale or by calling 0344 856 1966.

Our fan zone, located on the car park between the Sir Tom Finney Stand and Alan Kelly Town End, will be open as normal before the game from 12pm, with live music, food and drink all on offer.

Match Coverage

Supporters in the UK and Ireland who are unable to make it to Deepdale this weekend can listen to the game live on iFollow PNE with a £2.49 match pass, while those overseas can watch live for £10. Click here to subscribe!

You will also find our usual coverage before, during and after the game across our social media channels, as well as right here on PNE.Com.

PNE Team News

Liam Lindsay will serve the second and final game of his suspension in this fixture following his red card in the defeat against Derby County.

Ched Evans, who missed Tuesday’s Lancashire derby victory over Blackpool through injury, will be assessed ahead of the weekend.

There are no fresh injury concerns, though, with everybody coming through the midweek win unscathed.

The Opposition

Queens Park Rangers have spent the large majority of the campaign occupying a Play-Off spot and at times even pushing towards automatics.

However, their recent form has seen their chances of finishing in the top six diminish, with the R’s having lost six of their last seven matches.

Currently five points outside of the Play-Off spots, a shot at promotion is still on the cards, but they will need to put together a strong run in their final six games of the campaign in order to get there.

Key Stats

After collecting 16 points from a possible 18 on the road between November and January, QPR have struggled away from home lately, losing six of their last seven away games.

QPR’s main creative spark this season has been Chris Willock, having scored seven and assisted 11, but a hamstring injury has ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.

Josh Earl, who scored his first professional goal in the reverse fixture against the R’s, is one appearance away from making 100 in senior football.

Our Last Victory

PNE’s last win over QPR came in October 2020 away from home, with penalties either side of half-time from Daniel Johnson and Scott Sinclair securing the three points for Alex Neil’s team.

Man In The Middle

Tony Harrington will take charge of his first Preston North End game of the season on Saturday.

Harrington has, however, refereed 19 PNE matches in his career, with the most recent of them being the defeat at home to Brentford last term.

So far this campaign, he has held the whistle in 20 matches – including one Premier League fixture – and he has shown 65 yellow cards and one red.

Pre-Match Interviews

Gaffer Has Eyes Set
On Top-Half Finish Sepp Loving Regular
Game Time

Match Reports

Match Report: PNE 2 QPR 1

9 April 2022

Preston North End secured a third successive home victory with a win over Queens Park Rangers, thanks to goals from Emil Riis and Cameron Archer.

Riis put the home side ahead just a few moments before half-time, finishing off from Andrew Hughes’ cross, before Archer’s seventh goal for the club made it two shortly into the second period.

There was a very late consolation for the visitors, though, as Andre Gray scored a penalty to make the final score 2-1.

There was just one change from Tuesday’s victory in the Lancashire derby, with Ali McCann coming in for the ill Brad Potts.

After a quiet opening to the game, it was the visitors with the first real chance of the afternoon, with the ball falling kindly to Andre Dozzell in space ten yards out, but Daniel Iversen made himself big to deny the midfielder.

Iversen produced another good save on the half-hour mark, this time tipping wide an effort from Ilias Chair, before seeing Dozzell send another shot wide a few moments later.

At the other end, PNE’s first real chance of the match fell to the skipper, with a lovely flick from Cameron Archer sending Alan Browne through on goal, and he beat the goalkeeper but Moses Odubajo blocked just a few yards in front of the goal-line.

North End did take the lead, though, a couple of minutes before the break, as Hughes sent a low cross towards the near post and Riis nicked in front of his man to flick home. The Dane was forced off through injury shortly after, though, with Sean Maguire on in his place.

PNE doubled their advantage five minutes into the second period as Johnson found Tuesday’s match-winner Archer, who cut onto his left and fired goalwards, with his effort taking a deflection and finding the roof of the net.

The visitors could have had one back soon after but North End’s defence stood strong, firstly blocking Sam Field’s effort before Iversen then denied Lyndon Dykes.

PNE almost made it three on 68 minutes, with Maguire feeding Archer, who saw his low shot saved before Maguire’s follow-up was smothered by QPR debutant Murphy Mahoney.

Both teams were then left to wonder how they didn’t get the third goal of the game, with Iversen saving well to keep out Gray in a one-on-one situation, before Archer’s effort from six yards was somehow blocked on the line.

Archer was replaced late on by Mikey O'Neill, with the 17-year-old coming on for his senior debut, before North End conceded a late consolation goal, with Gray scoring from the spot after Johnson had fouled Sam Field in the area.

PNE line-up: Iversen; van den Berg, Bauer, Hughes; McCann, Whiteman, Browne, Johnson, Cunningham (Murphy, 70); Riis (Maguire, 45), Archer (O'Neill, 90). Subs not used: Ripley, Rafferty, Sinclair, Diaby.

QPR line-up: Mahoney; Odubajo, Sanderson, Dunne, McCallum; Field, Dozzell, Amos (Thomas, 57), Johansen; Chair (Gray, 69), Dykes (Austin, 68). Subs not used: Kakay, Ball, Adomah.

Attendance: 10,873 (721 QPR fans)

Referee: Mr T Harrington.

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