Opta Big Match Stats: Lift off for Liverpool away to QPR

Liverpool's defence has come in for heavy criticism this season

Judging by these Opta stats, Liverpool are set for one of their finest results of the campaign at QPR...

QPR v Liverpool
Sunday, 13:30
Live on Sky Sports 1

Match Odds: QPR 6.411/2, Liverpool 1.625/8, The Draw 4.3100/30

Under Harry Redknapp, QPR have lost six and won none of eight Premier League games on Sundays

Our Opta columns have experienced plenty of joy opposing Liverpool lately - the favourite method being to back the visiting team with a +1 handicap at Anfield - but the trends indicate that this will be a weekend in which everything comes together for them. While Opta note that the Reds have triumphed just four times in ten Premier League fixtures, QPR's figures are even worse.

The Hoops have lost five successive top-flight encounters on Sundays under Redknapp, have won a mere five in 32 in total with him in charge (a record worse than Mark Hughes) and have suffered six defeats in eight in all competitions this term, only earning points against other bottom-eight clubs.

Recommended Bet: Back Liverpool to win @ 1.625/8

Liverpool won five of their last six league meetings with QPR, keeping clean sheets in four of these

Brendan Rodgers' overhauled defence have obtained a frankly rubbish one clean sheet all season, though that arrived the last time that they spent a Sunday in the capital away to a Tottenham side with more revered attacking players. The 2013/14 runners-up won't get many better opportunities to shut an adversary out than one who have fired five blanks in eight matches since the start of the campaign, with Hull and Burton among the defences to have kept the west Londoners at bay.

Recommended Bet: Back Liverpool to keep a clean sheet @ 2.568/5

Mario Balotelli has scored just one goal in his last 21 Premier League appearances

This writer thinks the reception afforded to Balotelli has been far too harsh and too premature, not least from his own manager. However, laying him to net at Loftus Road seems a sound strategy statistically - based on the above Opta insight - and logically, as he was benched for their previous clash against West Brom so is far from guaranteed to complete the whole 90 minutes. Betfair "to score" markets pay out if the player makes it onto the pitch, regardless of whether that is as a starter or a sub.

Recommended Bet: Lay Balotelli to score @ 2.35/4