Cherries' slump to continue

It's never straightforward in the Championship and Bournemouth are finding just that at the moment as they prepare to take on Queens Park Rangers on Monday.

Bournemouth's dip in danger of becoming a slump

Only the very best teams in Championship history have gone through an entire season without a wobble. The second tier of English football is a marathon, not a sprint. Downturns in form are inevitable at some point, even for those sides chasing promotion.

Bournemouth can vouch for that. At the time of writing the Cherries are clinging onto second place by their fingertips. By the time this game gets under way on Monday, they may have dropped to third or even fourth.

No win in the last six for Bournemouth

Scott Parker's side have lost their last two matches and are now without a win in six. If they're not careful, this dip in form could become a slump from which it's hard to emerge.

A more positive interpretation would focus on Bournemouth's fine form before their recent downturn, but one win since October shows there is reason to be concerned.

Will QPR be fresh or rusty?

QPR will be desperate to return to action after two postponed fixtures in a row. Mark Warburton's men haven't taken to the field since December 5. The key question here is whether they will be fresh or rusty.

There's no hard and fast rule in situations like this. Some teams benefit from a break. Others lose their focus and momentum. But with the busiest period of the season upon us, Warburton might be grateful for the pre-Christmas pause.

QPR are eight points adrift of the top two but have two games in hand on all the teams above them. Rangers are building their promotion push on their form at Loftus Road, where they've won five of their last seven matches.

Our traders price them at 3 to make it six wins in eight, and that looks like excellent value given Bournemouth's struggles of late.

QPR can make quick start in front of their fans

Bournemouth have played twice - and lost twice - since QPR were last in action. Warburton will be aware of that. The Cherries could be both fatigued and short of confidence. QPR will aim to take advantage by making a fast start.

They've done that pretty well for most of the season. Indeed, in their last 13 matches QPR have scored the first goal 10 times. They're priced at 2.1 to break the deadlock on Monday.

This is a game between the third and fourth-highest scorers in the Championship, so we should be in store for an entertaining affair. At odds of 2.16, both teams to score and over 2.5 goals looks attractive.

Recommended bets:

QPR to win at 3

Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at 2.16

QPR to score first at 2.1