The final match of 2012 for these two sides could be one of the most signficant of the season, as bottom of the table Queens Park Rangers host a Liverpool team desperately languishing in mid table.

Should the R’s suffer yet another defeat, it is quite possible they would end the year nine points from safety, while if Liverpool were to lose against the side rock bottom of the table, it would surely heap more pressure on to beleaguered Brendan Rodgers.

The stakes at Loftus Road are high pricing the Londoners at 3/1 (4.00) to claim what would be only their second win of the season. Liverpool, meanwhile, can be backed at 10/11 (1.90) with the draw offered at 5/2 (3.50).

Given their erratic nature, neither side inspires particular confidence in the outright market although one aspect of their play has been fairly consistent over the last few weeks.

Liverpool have scored in all but two of their last 17 competitive matches, while QPR have found the back of the net in six of their last eight encounters.

This could well lead us to think that the price for both teams to score might be fairly low, yet at 4/5 (1.80) it is pleasingly attractive.

With this bet paying out in six of the last eight meetings between the two sides, including each of the last four at Loftus Road, this selection once again has a great chance of landing punters a profit.

For a value bet, back QPR to be ahead at half-time offered at 10/3 (4.33). Harry Redknapp’s men know they must go for the win and as such we can expect a high intensity start from the home side, making this a decent option for a smaller investment.

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Phil Kitromilides is a sports broadcaster working on radio and TV in London and Madrid. You can also follow Phil on Twitter.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers believes there are too many “bang average players who swan about on big money” who are making the game more difficult by distorting the transfer market.

The 39-year-old coach takes his side to QPR on Sunday, with his opposite number Harry Redknapp having stated that a number of his own players are over-paid while the club struggle at the bottom of the table.

And the Anfield manager thinks little will change until wages become more geared towards performance-related payments – and says he will not sign players who do not want to play for the club.

“If it’s top quality then you don’t mind paying for that quality, but the point Harry made was right,” he told reporters.

“There’s a lot of money spent on bang average players, that’s the killer in it all. There are players that swan about on big money and they’re not really bothered if they win or lose.

“There’s no real feeling because they know they’re going to get paid. At the end of the month they look at their bank account and the money’s there – there’s no performance-­related part to it.”

The Northern Irishman has been buoyed after a difficult start to the season by tying Luis Suarez down to a new long-term contract, and is on the lookout for like-minded stars.

“I don’t want players who don’t want to be here. This is a club that pays top ­dollar for top players. Steven [Gerrard] has been ­terrific for me, Suarez has been great, Daniel Agger outstanding. They have committed to the cause and feel the model will work.

“I don’t worry about Luis Suarez wanting to move on. He had the perfect chance to go last summer to Juventus and probably a number of other teams.”

And while Rodgers feels some players will take advantage of the wages that inevitably follow a big move to simply coast along, he is ready to take the flak to find players who are committed to Liverpool.

“I know what we want here but I was understanding coming in here that I wasn’t going to get this large cache of money, so we would have to grow along the way.

“I’l have to take a bit of stick for that and sometimes talk about my ­frustration, but I’m clear on the ­vision of where we’re going.

“If we can have the courage to stay with it – the supporters, the owners and the players, who have been brilliant – then in three years when I come to the end of my deal we can fairly assess it and see whether it’s worked or not.”

Brendan Rodgers has called for his Liverpool team to discover a winning mentality as they look to climb the table and find their form by pushing for places to secure European qualification.

This follows a mixed Christmas period for the Reds, whose 4-0 home win against Fulham was swiftly negated by a midweek defeat at Stoke, despite taking the lead within the opening minutes of the game.

The quick change in results has left Rodgers confused, as he told reporters: “To play for a club like this there are certain requirements you need.

“They are not just technical and tactical requirements. You can’t have a good match for Liverpool and then three days later have a poor game. This is Liverpool. This is every game of your life.

“You play well on Saturday and then you have to play well in the next game. Then three days later you have to be at the top of your game again. You have to do that for years because that’s why you are at a big club. The table doesn’t lie. We are in 10th position.

“We’ve shown against many of the top teams that we have the game to compete. Against some of the other teams we have shown wonderful demonstrations.

“But it has to be efficient and consistent. That’s the single biggest word. We have boys that want to come in and work every day, but it has to be consistent.”

Despite the lack of consistency, Rodgers has clarified that he will not be spending a lot of money in the new year, with the club still looking to consolidate financially following previous manager Kenny Dalglish’s ambitious spending.

“We certainly won’t be able to do everything in January that we want to do, but we hope to help the group,” Rodgers said. “There are lots of names that we are being linked with, but the truth is there are very few players we have enquired about.

“We need a bit more experience but we certainly won’t be spending a great deal of money in January.”

Among the players who have been linked in the media with a possible move to Liverpool next month are goalkeeper Jack Butland of Birmingham, Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge and Blackpool’s highly-rated midfielder Tom Ince.