With both sides heading into yet another Championship season, a test of early strength pits Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End together. The latter will be hoping for a quick change in fortune considering their narrow escape from relegation last season.
EFL Championship
Our Three Predictions For Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End
- First Prediction: 1st Half Preston North End over/under goals – Under 0.5 23/50
- Second Prediction: Match result – Draw 2/1
- Third Prediction: Under 2.5 goals 29/50
Betting odds are correct at time of writing via MyriadPlay
First Prediction for Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End – 1st Half Preston North End over/under goals – Under 0.5 23/50
As a relatively safe bet, in terms of odds on paper, Preston will likely struggle to shift into attacking gear early in this game. With a severe lack of goals in pre-season, North End are still figuring out a system for their favoured attacking assets. Paul Heckingbottom could struggle initially to get the most out of loanee Daniel Jebbison, record signing Milutin Osmajić, and Michael Smith. QPR have a very strong defensive lineup heading into this opening day clash, with the likes of Jimmy Dunne, Steve Cook, Liam Morrison and Jake Clarke-Salter remaining at Loftus Road for another season.
Despite divided fan opinion on Emil Riis prior to his Bristol City switch, the 27-year-old consistently provided goals when fit. Deepdale has yet to welcome a true permanent replacement to partner Osmajić ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, meaning Rangers could be facing the Lancashire side at the right time.
Second Prediction for Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End – Match result – Draw 2/1
This is an occasion where both sides could likely cancel each other out, despite the optimism clearly being more abundant in the home camp. Preston are a difficult team to break down and with QPR’s new signings potentially needing some more time to gel properly, a draw could be on the cards. The away side has prioritised reinforcement in the defensive department, adding the quality of Odel Offiah to a backline already featuring Lewis Gibson as a central leader. Thierry Small, Pol Valentín, Andrija Vukcevic and Daniel Iversen have all been brought in to steel their defence.
Queens Park Rangers and North End are both struggling to field a convincing forward line to appease their respective fans. The London side are facing injury trouble in their attacking ranks, whereas Preston need to invest in a long-term partner for Osmajić. This lack of threat from both outfits could easily cancel each other out.
Ultimately, the odds indicate that there is no clear winner ahead of this tie, which could be a safer, neutral punt rather than going heavy on a specific side. Paul Heckingbottom, since arriving at Deepdale, has overseen 20 draws in 44 matches. This reflects nearly a draw every other game with North End and a similar trend could follow into the new season.
Third Prediction for Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End – Under 2.5 goals 29/50
On the theme of a lack of goalscoring threat, Preston have only scored more than one goal in four of their domestic matches since the end of January. This is an appalling goalscoring record and a lack of attacking reinforcements will likely see a gradual improvement once players are brought in.
However, nothing notable seems to have changed heading into this meeting with QPR, who boast a decent-enough defence to combat the likes of Smith, Osmajić and Jebbison. Reports in the QPR camp suggest that Stephan’s side will be without their usual attacking firepower, so will also likely fail to trouble a bolstered North End defence.
In these two sides’ last ten meetings, this bet has failed to land four times, meaning 6/10 successful returns. Both are experiencing question marks on their forward lines, but have sured up defensively. This is expectantly a low-scoring game to begin the Championship campaign.
Best Odds for Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End
| Bookmaker | Queens Park Rangers | Draw | Preston North End |
| MyriadPlay | 13/10 | 2/1 | 39/20 |
| Gentleman Jim | 13/10 | 2/1 | 21/10 |
| Betarno | 5/4 | 2/1 | 85/40 |
Full Preview of the Game – Last Results and Head-To-Head
Queens Park Rangers have done the double over Preston in the last two campaigns, with North End’s most recent victory against the Rs coming in April 2023. Both matches last season ended in heartbreak for Preston, with Jimmy Dunne scoring in the 89th minute to win the game 2-1 during QPR’s home iteration. Furthermore, in the reverse meeting, April saw Lucas Anderson score off the bench during the third minute of stoppage time to take away all three points.
Pre-season results have been underwhelming to say the least for the Lilywhites. A defeat to Bamber Bridge saw North End field a youth side, which can be ignored here. A narrow victory against Chorley didn’t fill fans with phenomenal optimism. A goal against reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool, lifted spirits despite a 3-1 loss, but a 0-0 draw with Getafe and a 2-0 loss to Bolton Wanderers created a duller atmosphere.
Rangers notably lost 6-0 to Spanish side, Castellon, in an out-of-sorts performance. The Rs then bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Ligue 1’s Toulouse, before ending pre-season on a 2-2 draw with Heerenveen and a narrow 1-0 loss at home to Brentford.
09/08/2025
Championship
Championship
QPR Preston 1 1 18/04/2025
Championship
Championship
Preston North End Queens Park Rangers 1 2 21/12/2024
Championship
Championship
QPR Preston 2 1 20/04/2024
Championship
Championship
Queens Park Rangers Preston North End 1 0 01/12/2023
Championship
Championship
Preston North End Queens Park Rangers 0 2 31/01/2026
Championship
Championship
QPR Coventry 2 1 W 24/01/2026
Championship
Championship
QPR Wrexham 2 3 L 20/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Oxford Utd QPR 0 0 D 17/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Stoke QPR 0 0 D 04/01/2026
Championship
Championship
QPR Sheffield Wed 3 0 W 31/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Ipswich Preston 1 1 D 24/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Middlesbrough Preston 4 0 L 20/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Preston Hull 0 3 L 17/01/2026
Championship
Championship
Preston Derby 0 1 L 09/01/2026
FA Cup
FA Cup
Preston Wigan 0 1 LConfrontation
Last Results - QPR
Last Results - Preston
Where to watch Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End
Where can I watch this opening weekend clash, either on TV or in person?
- Location: Loftus Road, London
- Date: Saturday 9th August 2025
- Channel: Available across Sky Sports channels and SkySports+
Probable Lineups for Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End
What sort of lineups can we expect for this Championship fixture?
Predicted Queens Park Rangers Lineup:
- Lineup: J. Walsh, Z. Larkeche, A. Mbengue, L. Morrison, K. Adamson, S. Field, A. Morgan, I. Chair, K. Poku, K. Dembele, Z. Celar
- Coach: Julien Stephan
- Injured/Suspended: J. Clarke-Salter, J. Dunne, J. Varane, T. Richards, P. Smyth, M. Frey
Predicted Preston North End Lineup:
- Lineup: D. Iversen, T. Small, L. Gibson, L. Lindsay, O. Offiah, P. Valentín, A. McCann, B. Whiteman, M. Frøkjær, M. Osmajić, M. Smith
- Coach: Paul Heckingbottom
- Injured/Suspended: R. Brady, J. Thompson, B. Potts, W. Keane
Media Centre – News about Queens Park Rangers vs Preston North End
Queens Park Rangers – Official Twitter Page
Preston North End – Official Twitter Page
