Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions predictions, betting tips and odds: Lions face a battle early on

Where to watch Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions

You can watch Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions on Sky Sports Action at 11am on Wednesday, July 2

Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions best bet

Queensland Reds +15 on first-half handicap
2pts 10-11 Coral, Ladbrokes

J Gibson-Park to score a try
1pt 6-4 bet365

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Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions odds

Match betting

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Odds correct at time of publishing

Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions predictions

The Lions eventually cantered to a 54-7 win against the Western Force on Saturday in their first match on Australian soil, but they face a short turnaround and a step up in class against the Queensland Reds on Wednesday morning.

It's a Test the Lions should pass against a provincial team missing some key internationals. But it was far from plain sailing for them against the Force, and there may be some sticking points in this clash too, especially in the opening exchanges.

The handicap has been pushed up from the high 20s to around the 30-point mark, perhaps unsurprisingly after a nine-try rout.

And while the Reds are a stronger side than the Force and finished in the Super Rugby playoffs, their absentees include first-choice half-backs Tate McDermott and Tom Lynagh as well as Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson.

The Queensland outfit still have nine Australia internationals as well as two All Blacks in their squad, but what was noticeable against the Force was the drop-off towards the end as second- and sometimes third-choice players came off the bench and the Lions took advantage to stretch their lead.

In the early part of the game, though, the Force lived up to their name, applying attacking pressure and cashing in on some Lions errors.

Cutting down the error rate will no doubt be a focus in the Lions camp, but since that match in Perth the players have faced another 2,000-mile flight across two time zones and there won't have been a huge amount of time for them to train.

Finn Russell is the only Lions player to retain his starting berth from Saturday, and while there were some familiar partnerships in the team that day, such as Russell and Sione Tuipulotu at ten and 12, and Irish backs Gary Ringrose, Mack Hansen and James Lowe outside them, there is more mix-and-match in Wednesday's side.

The Lions may again pull clear and a 30-point handicap is hard to assess, but the value could be backing the Reds to still be within 15 points at the break.

Making his Lions debut is scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park following his long-awaited return from injury. He is favourite to wear the number nine jersey in the first Test and looks worth backing at 6-4 to get on the scoresheet.

The Lions forwards carried hard against the Force and will no doubt follow a similar pattern in this match. Starting scrum-half Tomos Williams scored two tries in that match before his unfortunate injury while replacement Alex Mitchell added another at the death, and Gibson-Park is a strong support runner who can find himself in promising positions.

Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions team line-ups

Reds: 15 Jock Campbell (c); 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tim Ryan; 10 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 9 Kalani Thomas; 1 Aidan Ross, 2 Matt Faessler, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 4 Josh Canham, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 6 Seru Uru, 7 John Bryan, 8 Joe Brial.
Replacements:  16 Josh Nasser, 17 George Blake, 18 Sef Fa’agase, 19 Ryan Smith, 20 Angus Blyth, 21 Connor Vest, 22 Louis Werchon, 23 Isaac Henry

Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan; 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe; 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Andrew Porter, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Jac Morgan, 8 Jack Conan.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Garry Ringrose 

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New customers only. First single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 X £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non withdrawable. Free bets expire after 30 days. Eligibility restrictions and further T&Cs apply.

Read more Lions tour news and analysis. . .

Lions Tour news: Gibson-Park set for Lions debut against Reds 

Lions Tour: Andy Farrell's side off the mark in Australia after 54-7 win over Western Force 

WATCH: British & Irish Lions Tour preview 

Jack Ogalbe: Ignore the Lions naysayers and strap in for an amazing summer 

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