QPR vs Leicester City - Match Preview

Posted On 30/10/2009 at at 17:30 by Alistair Kleebauer  

QPR Team News

QPR still have a surprising number of absentees considering how well they are currently doing, which suggests that their squad is stronger than suspected - the form of Gavin Mahon since his return to the side has been a glowing indication of this and has settled a lot of nerves about the loss of their captain Martin Rowlands. He is, and will remain for the rest of this season a long-term absentee. The Daily Star have gone so far as to say he will soon announce his retirement but I think that's very premature and they sneak it in at the bottom of a report about Magilton supposedly eyeing up a move for Nathan Ellington so on all counts I don't think it's particularly credible: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/105929/Magilton-eyeing-ell-of-a-signing-/.

The other absentees are Lee Cook who recently underwent surgery on his knee, Hogan Ephraim who also underwent a minor keyhole operation on his ankle at the start of October and who could be out for at least another two weeks, Matt Connolly has glandular fever and there's been no indication when he will come back and strikers Angelo Balanta (groin) and Alessandro Pellicori (knee).


Who does that leave? Well, a pretty decent side who haven't struggled with any of those absences with still enough cover on the bench. Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang still can't get a game even with Balanta and Pellicori out as manager Jim Magilton (pictured above) now sees Wayne Routledge as the solution up front.

Magilton's only real decision will be whether to bring Mikele Leigertwood back into the team for what could be his 100th game for the club. After suffering from a 'virus' which has since been revealed as swine flu, he is now fit and ready and came on in the 4-2 win over Derby. Magilton may prefer him at right-back to Peter Ramage (pictured right) as he occupied that position before his illness.

Leicester Team News

No new team news for Leicester since my report on them yesterday. Leicester fans will not be rubbing their eyes in glee at the sight of Edgar Davids pulling on their shirt though (although at 36 years, they would have been getting a slightly inferior version anyway). It was confirmed today that any potential deal has fallen through: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/oct/30/edgar-davids-leicester.

Form

The general rhapsodising about QPR's current form continues unabated and they currently lie second in the Championship's form table with an impressive 13 points out of 18 and three wins on the trot (more than any other team in the division) with four goals in each of them. Still only two defeats this season, both away and none at Loftus Road in twelve, stretching back to last March. So unarguably they are in their best form in a long time.

Are any words of caution required? Well they've lived with elevated expectations all season; if we go back to the first three home games against Blackpool, Forest and Peterborough, they were expected to win all three which they failed to do, which met with a less than rosy response from the home crowd. The expectations now have gone through the roof and teams will start to come to Loftus Road to defend, which may require more thought from QPR than required in the last three games. The football will not flow as nicely as in recent matches forever. Can this Rangers team also grind out results against the division's battlers?

Prediction

It pays to go against the grain when making predictions sometimes (I have no evidence statistical or otherwise to back this up) and Leicester are a clearly a tough, combative team; the type of team QPR struggled with in those opening games. Therefore, I'm going to predict a draw in the full knowledge that the Hoops will most likely continue their excellent run with a resounding win.

SCORE DRAW

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