Narcis Pelach will lead his Stoke City team to Loftus Road this Saturday to face Marti Cifuentes’ Queens Park Rangers, with Sky Sports pundit David Prutton predicting a tough time for QPR. Prutton expects Stoke to add to the misery for the Hoops, who are desperately seeking their first league win since a 2-1 away victory over Luton Town on August 30. Stoke, on the other hand, have experienced an upturn in form and results, having won two of their last three Championship matches. As a result, they have made significant progress towards the playoff positions, while QPR finds themselves rooted to the bottom of the table, already five points adrift from safety after 15 games.
| Team | League position | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal difference | Points |
| Stoke | 13th | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | -1 | 19 |
| QPR | 24th | 15 | 1 | 7 | 7 | -13 | 10 |
In the latest episode of Sky Sports’ Essential EFL podcast, Simeon Gholam and Prutton discussed the upcoming match. Gholam shared a comment from a Stoke fan, Jason, who believes Pelach’s tactical approach is finally clicking and that QPR’s relegation struggles are inevitable. He predicted a comfortable 2-0 win for the Potters. Historically, QPR has struggled against Stoke, winning only two of their last six encounters and failing to score in four of those matches. As the conversation turned to goalkeepers, Gholam expressed his regret at not including Stoke’s Viktor Johansson in the team of the season so far, which sparked a playful back-and-forth with Prutton. Eventually, Prutton confidently predicted a 2-0 victory for Stoke at Loftus Road.
QPR desperately needs to start securing points, especially in matches like this, to mount a serious survival challenge. The club’s 2024/25 season has been a disappointment, particularly given the optimism surrounding the arrival of Cifuentes and their strong finish to the previous campaign. Despite new signings, the team has struggled with a lack of attacking potency and a porous defense, leaving them without a single victory at home this season. With four draws and four losses from their eight home games, QPR must improve their performances at Loftus Road if they hope to avoid relegation.
For Stoke, the trip to West London comes with growing confidence. With recent wins over Derby County and Blackburn Rovers, and a solid 1-1 draw against Millwall, Pelach’s side appears to have found some consistency. After years of disappointing finishes, Stoke supporters are beginning to believe that Pelach is the manager who can finally steer the club toward promotion contention. Another victory this weekend would bring them even closer to the top six, further bolstering their belief and ambition for the rest of the season.
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