Arsenal vs. QPR: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Queen’s Park Rangers’ quest for a first away point of the season will continue at the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day, as they look to take advantage of Arsenal’s inconsistencies.
The Gunners have blown hot and cold in recent weeks, and in their last outing, Arsene Wenger’s men conceded a 97th-minute equaliser against Liverpool, capping off what was, all-in-all, a pretty moribund display.
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The north Londoners will fancy their chances of getting back to winning ways against their city rivals, though, and they will be hoping to carry some critical momentum into what’s set to be a fundamental festive period for their season. Here’s all the information you need on where to catch the clash and see if the Gunners can get back to winning ways.
Date: Friday, Dec. 26
Time: 5:30 p.m. (GMT), 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Live Stream: BT Sport App (UK), NBC Sports Live Extra (US)
TV Info: BT Sport 1 (UK), NBC (US)
Likely Line-Ups:
QPR Looking For First Point On The Road
Arsenal’s frailties were exposed in earnest in their recent trip to Anfield. A staggering lack of midfield cohesion was on display throughout the 90 minutes, as was an errant dearth of leadership in defensive areas. Had it not been for the exploits of Wojciech Szczesny in goal and some clinical finishing up front, the Gunners would have been on the end of a heavy defeat.
It's something Bleacher Report's Arsenal correspondent James McNicholas touched upon in the aftermath of the match:
Admittedly, at home, there is a lot more to like about Wenger’s side. They scythed through Newcastle United with a real panache in their last home Premier League game, and with a host of forward players bang in form at the moment, they’ll be hoping to repeat the trick against a team that have been downright deplorable on the road this season.
Olivier Giroud is a player who has added a clinical edge to Arsenal’s play since his return from injury, and as we can see here courtesy of Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe—referring to the Frenchman’s clash with Martin Skrtel—the forward brings some much-needed physicality to proceedings at the sharp end of the field:
Shackling the Frenchman as well as Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be critical for Harry Redknapp’s side if they’re to take anything away from the Emirates, but in Charlie Austin, they have their own goalscorer extraordinaire who will be looking to make his mark on the match.
The former Burnley man has been ruthless in front of goal so far this season, and after his hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion last time out, the Englishman will be confident of adding to his 11-goal haul at the home of the Gunners.
Indeed, Austin has been a critical influence for his team this season, as noted here by OptaJoe:
For the visitors, the problem on the road this season has been getting the service into Austin. Too often Harry Redknapp has got his tactics incorrect and while they’ve resembled a diligent side at Loftus Road, away from home they’ve been toothless and accommodating, scoring just three goals and conceding 20.
For a side like QPR, the bedrock of the season is performances in front of your own supporters. But you suspect that this team will have to improve dramatically on the road if they’re going preserve their Premier League status for another year at least.
But it’s difficult to see an immediate upturn in their away-day fortunes at the Emirates. Arsenal are fragile and erratic on the road, but in front of their own fans they’ve been an altogether different proposition. With that in mind, expect the Gunners to run out as comfortable victors, leaving Redknapp to further ponder the best way to turn around his team’s abject away haul.
