Leeds United eased some of the pressure on them when they beat Millwall 2-0 at Elland Road on Wednesday night. The Whites are back at the summit of the Championship table on 79 points, two ahead of second-placed Sheffield United and four points ahead of Burnley, who are third in the standings. They remain hot favourites to earn automatic promotion but a trip to QPR on Saturday could be another banana skin due to their record at Loftus Road over the years. Leeds are keen to get three points and get into next week’s international break as the clear leaders of the Championship but London has not been a happy hunting ground for the Whites.
QPR have lost their last four on the bounce and are trying desperately hard to ensure that they do not get sucked into the relegation dogfight in the remaining nine games of the season.
On paper, Leeds United should be beating a QPR side who seem to be feeling too comfortable about their safety in the Championship and appear to have nothing to play for with nine points separating them from the drop zone.
However, Leeds’ recent record at QPR is nothing short of terrible and they have not won at Loftus Road since December 2017, losing on their last four trips to the London club in the process.
Daniel Farke suffered the worst defeat of his Leeds tenure towards the back end of last season when QPR smashed the Whites 4-0 at Loftus Road, which played a key part in their resurgence towards the end of the campaign.
Championship expert tips Leeds to buck their Loftus Road trend and beat QPR
Leeds have reasons to worry about their trip to QPR given their recent record at Loftus Road and the London side have been a bit of a bogey team for the Whites.
However, former Championship star Sam Parkin indicated that Leeds should not have much to be wary of given how QPR have been playing in recent weeks.
Marti Cifuentes’ side have lost four in a row in the Championship and the former midfielder conceded that the QPR players look like their minds are already in what they want to do at the end of the season.
QPR hammered Leeds towards the back end of last season but Parkin is certain that won’t happen again on Saturday and the Whites should get a comfortable 2-0 away win at Loftus Road.
“Yeah, you talk about a team being on the beach. I am worried”, Parkin said on Benjamin Bloom’s podcast.
“What are we looking at now? Nine points [to the relegation zone]. I mean, that’s a fair chunk of victories for that ground to be made up.
“I can’t see lightning striking twice despite how good QPR were against Leeds at the back end of last season. So, I will just keep this brief and go for a 2-0 Leeds win.”
Breaking the QPR jinx could be another sign of Leeds getting promoted
A sense of calmness has returned around Leeds since they beat Millwall on Wednesday night and they are again looking like marching towards automatic promotion.
However, we still have nine games left in the season and it is tight at the top with just four points separating the top three teams at this stage of the campaign.
Leeds cannot afford slip-ups but they are set to face QPR on Saturday with the knowledge that their last four trips to Loftus Road ended in defeats.
Can you name these past and present Leeds United players?
QPR have lost their last four on the trot but Leeds have a poor record in London and they often struggle in the early kick-offs, which has been a major issue this season.
Appointment of a referee under whose watch Leeds have had a patchy record has not improved the fanbase’s mood ahead of the tough trip to QPR.
However, a win at Loftus Road could be a game changer and maybe remove the last mental block for Leeds as they push to secure automatic promotion.
Three points against QPR will not only keep them at the top but can even break the confidence of the chasing pack who are anticipating dropped points from Leeds this Saturday.
