Expect goals as QPR continue Malaysian adventure
The Hoops are on a pre-season tour of owner Tony Fernandes’ homeland and entertainment could be the order of the day as they face champions Kelantan.
It is a sign of the global appeal of the Premier League that corners of the world that previously would not have even registered on English football’s radar are now a pivotal part of clubs’ plans for growth and fame.
The summer schedule of Queens Park Rangers is a case in point. Under the ownership of Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, QPR have succumbed to the inevitable in modern football and have started their pre-season preparations with a tour of the owners’ homeland.
Fernandes owns the club and can therefore do as he pleases, but quite how popular a medium-sized and historically modestly successful west London club can be in the far east is questionable.
Nonetheless, Mark Hughes and his squad are currently over there readying themselves for the new campaign, hoping to avoid a repeat of last season’s skin-of-the-teeth escape from relegation, which would have been confirmed had Bolton not squandered a lead late on at Stoke City.
| Primera Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mallorca | 1-1 | Betis Sevilla | £120.00 | (5/1) |
| Mallorca | 2-1 | Betis Sevilla | £180.00 | (8/1) |
| Mallorca | 1-2 | Betis Sevilla | £185.00 | (33/4) |
| Mallorca win | £51.00 | (31/20) | ||
| Draw | £66.00 | (23/10) | ||
| Betis Sevilla win | £53.00 | (33/20) | ||
With their players at peak fitness, Kelantan could give a ring-rusty QPR a stern test, so the 3/4 that the match produces over 2.5 goals is the play in this admittedly small market.
Hughes has already been busy in the transfer market to help his cause, bringing in Park Ji-Sung and Fabio from Manchester United alongside Andy Johnson from Fulham, Rob Green from West Ham and Ryan Nelsen from Tottenham, and the former Manchester City boss has a full squad at his disposal in Malaysia as the training regime he so often boasts about takes full effect.
QPR’s next assignment is a meeting with Kelantan, who won the Malaysian Super League by a commanding ten points. Rangers are 21/50 to secure a friendly victory with bwin, who price up The Deers as 11/2 shots and the draw as a 3/1 chance.
It could turn out to be quite a test for Hughes’ side. While the Hoops come into the match on the back of their opening game of the summer, a 5-0 victory over a Sabah Select XI, Kelantan have just finished their successful campaign, having played their last league match last Saturday.
They won that 3-1 to cap off a glorious year and will no doubt be looking at the chance to meet Premier League opposition as an exciting one, hoping to prove what they are capable of.
With their players at peak fitness, Kelantan could give a ring-rusty QPR a stern test, so the 7/10 that the match produces over 2.5 goals is the play in this admittedly small market.
There were three goals or more goals in four of Kelantan’s last six fixtures, while QPR have an array of firepower (Johnson, Djibril Cisse, Bobby Zamora, Heidar Helguson, Jay Bothroyd) while lacking the cohesion that will come with games.
As such, there could be a few goals for the fans to enjoy and 7/10 on over 2.5 goals is the way to go for punters here.
Recommended bet: Over 2.5 goals in Kelantan v QPR @ 7/10
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