Our prediction for this Championship match:
After sharing the spoils with Hull City, Queens Park Rangers will look to return to winning ways in the Championship when they host Blackpool to their Kiyan Prince Stadium on Wednesday. The Hoops want to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive, and they should take advantage of Blackpool’s poor away record. Robert Dickie is back from suspension, while all Lee Wallace, Jordan Archer, and Sam McCallum continue to miss out with injuries.
The Seasiders are tough to beat at home, but they have recorded no more than three wins on the road this term. Blackpool are stuck in the middle of the table, meaning that this will be a great opportunity for QPR to get back on course. All Tayo Edun, Ian Poveda, and Bradley Dack are sidelined with injuries for the away team, while both Hamilton and Lavery are pushing for a start.
Highlighted Player (Andre Gray):
Wolverhampton-born striker Andre Gray is a product of the Shrewsberry Town youth academy who hit the limelight during his two loan spell with Luton Town. A no-nonsense forward endured a difficult childhood which left him with a four-inch scar on his left cheek after he got stabbed in the face in a gang-related incident back in 2011.
Fortunately, Andre Grey was pulled out of the gang lifestyle by his mother and close friends and focused on his football career. Having scored 57 goals in 111 appearances with The Hatters, Gray was prized away by Brentford in a club-record deal at the time. Just a season later Gray moved to Burnley where he hit 23 goals in 41 Championship appearances to emerge as a vital cog in his club’s Premier League push in 2014/15. After nine goals in 32 top-flight appearances with he Clarets, Gray was transferred to Watford for yet another club-record fee.
The Englishman’s prolific goalscoring record in the Football League was brought to a halt, however, with Gray scoring just five goals in 31 Premier League appearances during the 2017/18 season.
Highlighted Team (Blackpool):
Blackpool FC are a professional English club based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Considering that Blackpool is a seaside town, it is no surprise they are nicknamed the Seasiders. Founded back in 1887, the club play their home matches at Bloomfield Road, which can hold up to 17,338 spectators. In the 2009/2010 season Blackpool secured promotion to the Premier League, but they were not competitive at this level, suffering relegation to the Championship the following season.
The club’s biggest success, though, came in 1953 when they defeated Bolton Wanderers 4-3 in the FA Cup final. Blackpool are well known for their orange shirts, but the dominant colour of their away kit is white. Preston are considered the club’s biggest rivals, with the two teams facing each other in the West Lancashire derby.
Charlie Adam, who played for Liverpool and has 26 caps for Scotland national team, is regarded as one of the club’s most notable players.