Following his appointment on Tuesday, Chris Wilder's tenure as Watford manager will begin with a trip to take on Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

The visitors dismissed Slaven Bilic with the side sat 10th in the Championship table, while Gareth Ainsworth is also still searching for a first win after recently taking over at Loftus Road.

Match preview

Queens Park Rangers find themselves in a dismal run of form in the Championship, having quickly dropped down the division due to a 12-game unbeaten run in England's second tier beginning on Boxing Day.

That victory itself, Neil Critchley's only triumph in his brief tenure at Loftus Road, broke another six-match winless run for the R's, and as they went on to add just five points to their tally in the following 10 league outings, Critchley was dismissed and replaced by Gareth Ainsworth in mid-February.

In his first two games at the helm, the new boss has been unable to inspire an instant turnaround, as the London outfit firstly suffered a 3-1 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers, before most recently travelling to take on fellow strugglers Rotherham United last weekend.

Jordan Hugill netted a goal in each half to put the Millers 2-0 up in that meeting, and after Jamal Lowe pulled one back from the penalty spot, Hakeem Odoffin netted the hosts' third in injury time to ensure QPR returned home empty-handed following a 16th league defeat of the campaign.

Following their strong start to the campaign, the R's dismal run in recent months has triggered a swift drop to 20th spot, and now with just a seven-point lead over the relegation zone going into the final 11 matches of the term, Ainsworth will be desperate to oversee a first win with his new club to trigger an improvement and increase their cushion.

They meet a Watford side who are also aiming to improve their fortunes under new management, albeit in a fight at the other end of the division, with the Hornets vying to close the gap to the playoff places.

After putting themselves in a strong position to, at least, achieve a top-six finish, as they sat on 43 points from 27 league games, they have since hit a tougher run of form since mid-January and now boast just a single victory in their last eight attempts in England's second tier.

That came at home to West Bromwich Albion after three successive draws, as they eventually came out of an eventful contest as 3-2 winners, before facing the tough test of a trip to second-placed Sheffield United and falling to a 1-0 defeat with Ryan Porteous's own goal making the difference between the sides.

Following that loss at Bramall Lane, Watford most recently hosted Preston North End last weekend and had to settle for a point from a goalless draw, with that result spelling the end for Slaven Bilic's six-month tenure as they swiftly appointed Chris Wilder with the objective of climbing back into the playoff spots.

Now sitting 10th in the Championship with a four-point gap to sixth-placed Norwich City and fifth-placed rivals Luton Town being six points better off heading into the final stretch, Wilder will know that he must hit the ground running in order to stand a chance of reclaiming a coveted playoff spot.

Team News

Queens Park Rangers continue to deal with an unenviable list of injuries, as key attackers Ilias Chair and Chris Willock remain confined to the treatment room, as do defenders Leon Balogun, Jake Clarke-Salter, Kenneth Paal and Ethan Laird.

Lyndon Dykes has neared a return after a long layoff of his own though, and the Scotland international may be introduced from the outset over Chris Martin, while Jamal Lowe will again play a key role in the front line in the absence of Willock and Chair, having found the net twice since his January loan arrival from Bournemouth.

Without Balogun and Clarke-Salter, Jimmy Dunne and Rob Dickie will continue to partner up at centre-back, while Sam Field, Tim Iroegbunam and Stefan Johansen should all keep their places in the engine room.

We are yet to see how Chris Wilder will set up his new Watford side, but he also has a long injury list to contend with, as Francisco Sierralta, Kourtney Hause, Hassane Kamara, Edo Kayembe, Tom Cleverley and Dan Gosling all remain sidelined.

Ryan Porteous and Wesley Hoedt may continue their partnership in the middle of the defence, although Craig Cathcart has recently returned from an injury of his own, giving the new boss the option of deploying a back three.

Joao Pedro will play a key role in the attack, having netted nine league goals so far this season, with the Brazilian likely flanked by Ismaila Sarr and Ken Sema in support of either Keinan Davis or Henrique Araujo up front.

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Drewe, Dickie, Dunne, Kakay; Field, Johansen, Iroegbunam; Lowe, Martin, Adomah

Watford possible starting lineup:
Bachmann; Gaspar, Porteous, Hoedt, Morris; Louza, Choudhury; Sarr, Pedro, Sema; Araujo

We say: Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Watford

Queens Park Rangers are devoid of any confidence or momentum at present, while Watford still boast plenty of quality and will hope to have a boost under their new manager that the hosts have not experienced thus far.

We fancy the Hornets to come out on top at Loftus Road with the need for a run to climb back towards the top six.


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