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Queens Park Rangers begin preparations for the 2026-27 campaign when they travel to face First Vienna at the Care-Energy Naturarena Hohe Warte on Saturday.
The Austrian side enter the contest on the back of three consecutive pre-season victories as they continue building towards the new 2. Liga campaign.
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs, with QPR facing Austrian opposition in the opening fixture of a five-match pre-season schedule.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
First Vienna vs. QPR key stats
- First Vienna have scored at least two goals in each of their last four matches.
- Over 2.5 goals has landed in each of QPR’s last three matches.
- The Hoops have kept just one clean sheet in their last 15 games.
First Vienna vs. QPR preview: Can the Rs make a winning start?
First Vienna vs QPR — Tale of the Tape
| First Vienna | vs | QPR |
|---|---|---|
| 7th (Austria 2. Liga 2025-26) | Position | 15th (Championship 2025-26) |
| 40 | Points | 58 |
| 30 | Goals For | 61 |
| 25 | Goals Against | 73 |
| 11 | Clean Sheets | 9 |
| 9th | Home / Away Rank | 15th |
First Vienna are preparing for their fifth consecutive campaign in Austria’s second tier after finishing seventh last season with 40 points from 28 league matches, recording 11 wins, seven draws and 10 defeats.
Hans Kleer’s side have enjoyed an impressive start to pre-season, opening with a 6-2 victory over Weiz before following that up with wins over Kremser (2-0) and Grazer AK (4-2).
The Austrian outfit will begin their competitive campaign against Mattersburg SV 2020 in the OFB Cup on July 25 before opening their league season away to Sturm Graz II on August 1.
Bernhard Luxbacher is expected to captain the side from midfield, while new arrivals Youssouf Soukouna, Felix Luckeneder and Raul Marte are all pushing for a starting berth.
QPR are preparing for a second season under Julien Stephan after finishing 15th in the Championship last term with 58 points, ending the campaign 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
The Hoops endured a difficult conclusion to the 2025-26 season, failing to win any of their final six matches and losing each of their last four, but they will look to put that run behind them in pre-season.
The London club begin a busy summer schedule before opening the new campaign against Millwall in the EFL Cup on August 8 and Portsmouth in the Championship a week later.
QPR have made only one senior addition so far this summer, with Boy Kemper arriving, while Sam Field is among six departures after completing a move to Norwich City.
Kemper is expected to make his debut at left-back, while Ilias Chair, Richard Kone and Karamoko Dembele are all in contention to feature in attack.
First Vienna vs. QPR form guide & betting tips
| First Vienna | vs | QPR |
|---|---|---|
L
W
W
W
W
|
Form |
D
L
L
L
L
|
| 14 | Goals For | 3 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 10 |
W
W
W
|
Club Friendly | N/A |
Whispers predicts: First Vienna 2-3 QPR
First Vienna have built confidence with three consecutive pre-season victories, although those results came against Austrian opposition and Saturday’s fixture represents a step up against a Championship side.
QPR possess greater experience and quality across the squad, and the visitors should have enough to begin their preparations with a victory despite the likelihood of several substitutions throughout the match.
Both Teams to Score – Yes is an appealing option after First Vienna scored 12 goals across their opening three friendlies, while their ability to find the net regularly also supports the First Vienna over 1.5 team goals selection.
Over 2.5 Goals is another strong possibility, with each of First Vienna’s three pre-season matches producing at least four goals and QPR conceding regularly in recent outings.
> Queens Park Rangers to win (odds to be updated once available) | Likelihood: Probable
> Both Teams to Score (odds to be updated once available) | Likelihood: Possible
> Over 2.5 Goals (odds to be updated once available) | Likelihood: [LIKELIHOOD]
> First Vienna over 1.5 team goals (odds to be updated once available) | Likelihood: [LIKELIHOOD]
> Correct score: First Vienna 2-3 QPR (odds to be updated once available) | Likelihood: Outsider