MX23RW : Sunday, September 29 00:31:08| >> :120:13733:13733:

Preview: Queens Park Rangers vs. Leeds United

Sports Mole previews Saturday's early Championship kickoff as Queens Park Rangers host Leeds at Loftus Road.

Queens Park Rangers will look to get their automatic promotion bid back on track when they host Leeds United at Loftus Road on Saturday.

Harry Redknapp's side have suffered three straight defeats and only picked up a single point in February, leaving them seven points behind second-placed Burnley.

In-form Derby County also moved above the R's during their poor spell, so they now sit down in fourth in the Championship table, although they do have a game in hand over the three teams above them.

Their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Reading last Sunday was their first home league defeat in five matches and just their second of the entire season, with only leaders Leicester City having amassed more points in front of their own fans.

However, they have now conceded six goals in their last two home encounters having only let in six in their 15 home league matches prior to that.

They do still boast the league's stingiest defence, although their tally of 25 goals conceded is now just one better than Burnley.

Goalscoring has been a consistent worry for the Hoops this season and only two teams outside the bottom five of the table have found the net fewer times than them in the current campaign.

The hosts will have loanee Ravel Morrison available once again for the match, but defender Max Ehmer has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury while Joey Barton is suspended.

Leeds, meanwhile, still have faint aspirations of making a late charge for the playoffs this season, and victory on Saturday would be a massive boost to their chances.

They are currently down in 11th place, seven points behind sixth-placed Reading, but they have a game in hand over the Royals and could move as high as eighth should results go their way this weekend.

Brian McDermott's side have turned things around in recent weeks with just one defeat in their last five outings following a run of five straight losses in all competitions.

Their away record will still be a worry, however, as they have only scored in one of their last five matches on the road and picked up a solitary victory in their last seven.

The Whites will be boosted by the loan signings of Jack Butland, who made an impressive debut in the goalless draw against Middlesbrough, and Connor Wickham, who joined from Sunderland earlier this week.

Wickham is likely to slot straight into the team alongside Ross McCormack, who is the league's leading scorer with 22 goals.

Recent form

QPR: WWDLLL

Leeds: LDWWLD

Possible starting lineups

QPR: Green; Onuoha, Dunne, Hill, Traore; Hughes, Jenas, Morrison, Carroll; Doyle, Hoilett

Leeds: Butland; Wootton, Pearce, Peltier, Warnock; Kebe, Austin, Murphy, Stewart, Wickham; McCormack

Sports Mole says: 1-0


ID:141399: cacheID:141399:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5519:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Brian McDermott. manager of Leeds United looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United at Hillsborough Stadium on January 11, 2014
Read Next:
Match Analysis: Boro 0-0 Leeds
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Rams
@
Bears
6pm
Eagles
@
Buccaneers
6pm
Steelers
@
Colts
6pm
Saints
@
Falcons
6pm
Broncos
@
Jets
6pm
Vikings
@
Packers
6pm
Bengals
@
Panthers
6pm
Jags
@
Texans
9.05pm
Patriots
@
49ers
9.05pm
Washington
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Chiefs
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Browns
@
Raiders
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom7511125716
2Sunderland7502146815
3Blackburn RoversBlackburn7430146815
4Burnley7421134914
5Leeds UnitedLeeds7421124814
6Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd743093613
7Watford74121210213
8Middlesbrough732285311
9Norwich CityNorwich7322119211
10Swansea CitySwansea631274310
11Oxford UnitedOxford Utd7313108210
12Hull City72329819
13Derby CountyDerby7304101009
14Millwall7223121028
15Plymouth ArgylePlymouth7223811-38
16Bristol City6222812-48
17Queens Park RangersQPR7142811-37
18Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds7214914-57
19Luton TownLuton7214611-57
20Stoke CityStoke7205411-76
21Coventry CityCoventry7124611-55
22Preston North EndPreston7124412-85
23Portsmouth7043713-64
24Cardiff CityCardiff7016217-151


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!