Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

But there hasn't been a great deal to seperate these two sides yet this season. Both have only one win to point to so far and perhaps the only true difference is the expectation levels at Loftus Road which are surely higher than at Selhurst Park.

Those expectations are being tempered by the week though and the smart money would be on another draw tonight. Games between these two sides are rarely open, free-flowing encounters (two 0-0 draws last season speak volumes) and with both lacking in confidence, the fear of a defeat may act as greater motivation than the desire to win.

For QPR, their captain, Martin Rowlands, could start his first game since the opening day following an ankle injury. Angelo Balanta recently suffered a similar injury and is unavailable as is Fitz Hall, still recovering from the groin injury which kept him out of the Peterborough game. The only other absentee is of course Lee Cook and news on his potential return date is very hard to come by. Physio Paul Hunter's column in the match-day programme only went so far as to say he is making 'steady' progress following his recent knee surgery.

QPR supporters also learned today that striker Heidar Helguson has been loaned to his former club Watford until the end of December. With goals so hard to come by, this deal will not be entirely welcomed around the ground, but I sincerely doubt how many goals Heidar would have provided this season. I'd expect to see Adel Taarabt and Jay Simpson up front again, though Alessandro Pellicori surely deserves another chance in the QPR team sooner rather than later despite his poor early displays (and in fairness, he has only started once this season). Patrick Agyemang and Rowan Vine currently look less likely than Helguson to score for QPR.

The 4-0 defeat for Palace on Saturday indicated that they are a club on the verge of a crisis, with manager Neil Warnock and many of his players apologising to their supporters for a woeful display. Now into their fifth season out of the Premiership (where they were never able to sustain more than two campaigns on the trot), they will not be welcoming top-level teams any time soon.

For neutrals, much of the entertainment from Palace rarely comes on the pitch but all too often from their manager Neil Warnock. It would be hard to say that he has chilled out in his older age, but he hasn't quite got into as many scrapes as in his Sheffield United days (where his feuds even encompassed 'celebrity supporter' Sean Bean). His reaction to 'the goal that never was' against Bristol City this season though showed that he has lost none of his anger when called upon. If anything, his histrionics can sometimes take away from the genuine failings of his teams.

With Palace now in a truly tough spot, he will have to call on his vast experience to turn around their ailing season. To do so, he has close to a full squad to call on with centre-back Paddy McCarthy returning after a suspension. The only potential doubt is loanee Freddy Sears who faces a late fitness test.