Why the Chelsea juggernaut will roll on with QPR win

After their enthralling Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Tuesday evening, Chelsea are back to Premier League duties this weekend as they host West London rivals QPR.

With a final against Bayern Munich now in the bag, Roberto di Matteo’s side must focus on grabbing fourth place to guarantee their participation in the competition next season.

Of course, beating the Germans would also see them achieve that goal by snatching the final qualification spot from the team finishing fourth, assuming they fail to overturn their four-point deficit to current incumbents Newcastle.

The Blues head into this match as the overwhelming favourites at 19/50 to exact revenge on the side that beat them 1-0 at Loftus Road earlier in the season, a result which former boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted had derailed the club’s season.

That particular meeting will forever be remembered for Chelsea’s fury at being reduced to nine men and, more significantly, the subsequent allegations that John Terry racially abused Hoops defender Anton Ferdinand.

As Terry continues to await his court case to answer those charges, the FA has this week instructed the two sets of players to abandon the usual pre-match handshakes to avoid further controversy.

The previous four meetings between these two sides in all competitions have finished 1-0, the last ending in Chelsea’s favour in the FA Cup in January, and with both sides still having something to play for, this could prove tight once again.

Meanwhile, the draw is priced at 7/2 and victory for Mark Hughes’ side, who have lost their last five games away from home and have not won on the road since their 3-2 defeat of Stoke in November, can be backed at 7/1 in bwin’s 3way football betting market.

QPR will, however, approach the game with confidence having seen off Tottenham at Loftus Road last weekend, which followed recent home victories against Arsenal, Swansea and Liverpool to keep their hopes of survival alive.

The R’s certainly won’t have been disappointed with the way the evening went in midweek for the Blues, who had to play the majority of the game with ten men following Terry’s mindless red card and also lost Gary Cahill to injury.

The previous four meetings between these two sides in all competitions have finished 1-0, the last ending in Chelsea’s favour in the FA Cup in January, and with both sides still having something to play for, this could prove tight once again.

A similar scoreline for the hosts looks appealing at 27/4, while backing Di Matteo’s men to emerge victorious for the 11th time at home this season in the league with fewer than 2.5 goals scored in the match could be a great bet at 29/10.

New customers who sign up to bwin.com and receive their £25 free bet would see a return of £97.50 should they back this outcome and it prove successful.

Having had to settle for a place on the bench on Tuesday before coming on to score in the dying moments, Fernando Torres will be desperate to follow that goal up with another strike this weekend to stake a claim for a starting spot in Munich.

The Spaniard will fancy himself against a side that have not kept a clean sheet away from home since September and he is priced at 3/1 to open proceedings, while he can be backed at 3/4 to find the net at any time.

One thing Mark Hughes will be demanding of his players is discipline, with the R’s having clocked up eight red cards this season, including one for Adel Taarabt last weekend against his former employers.

However, even with 11 men on the pitch, the best the Hoops can hope for is a point.

Recommended bet: Chelsea to win a game of under 2.5 goals @ 29/10     Outside punt: Chelsea to beat QPR 1-0 @ 27/4

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