Manchester City could seal relegation for Queens Park Rangers in the next round of Premier League games.
Manchester City will be the heavy favourites for their game against Queens Park Rangers this weekend and they could condemn Chris Ramsey’s team to life in the Championship for next season.
This was a pivotal contest two years ago, as City won their first Premier League title with victory over QPR on the final day of the season.
A seven point gap means QPR need to defend hard and attack effectively to try and steal a win, taking the fight for their survival into the last two fixtures.
One of the key head-to-heads during the game is going to be Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala against former Tottenham man Steven Caulker.
| Position | Team | Outfielder Blocks Per Game | Won Tackles Per Game | Interceptions Won Per Game | Duels Won Per Game | Passing Accuracy | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Caulker | DF | QPR | 1.03 | 0.88 | 1.97 | 5.76 | 70% | 33 | 2,880 |
| Eliaquim Mangala | DF | Man City | 0.45 | 1.41 | 1.5 | 4.55 | 89% | 22 | 1,919 |
Caulker is ahead in three key areas based on the stats from this season so far, which suggests City’s attack could have a more difficult time at the office than they may be anticipating.
He’s got a higher average in terms of outfield blocks, interceptions and duels won per game, which suggests his positioning is good, he reads the game effectively and uses his strength to his advantage.
Mangala goes for more tackles, which isn’t a surprise considering City’s higher defensive line, and also has a higher passing accuracy per match, with City more likely to pass the ball out from the back.
Whoever edges these stats this weekend should be on the end of a positive result for their team.
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