QPRvs.Portsmouth

The hosts will also be desperate to claim all three points after failing to win any of their last five Championship matches.

Match preview

QPR are languishing in the bottom three of the Championship table after winning one, drawing four and losing four of their nine league games.

The R's have taken just two points from five matches since claiming their only league win of the season in an away game against Luton Town at the end of August.

Marti Cifuentes' side played out consecutive league draws against Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall, before they fell to three consecutive defeats, including losses to Blackburn Rovers and Hull City.

They then suffered a 2-0 away loss to Derby County in their final match before the international break, leaving them in 22nd place and one point adrift from safety.

Having shipped 16 goals in nine matches, QPR currently have the third-worst defensive record in the division, highlighting a key area for improvement if they are to climb up the table.

After taking two points from their four home league games, the R's may view a game against a winless Portsmouth side as the perfect opportunity to claim their first home win of the season.

Portsmouth are sitting in 23rd position and two points behind QPR after drawing five and losing four of their nine Championship matches.

Pompey's most forgettable performance of the season took in their most recent away game against Stoke City, with John Mousinho's side falling to a heavy 6-1 defeat at the bet365 Stadium.

They followed that demoralising result with a 1-1 draw against Oxford United in a battle of two newly-promoted sides at Fratton Park.

Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Mark O'Mahony headed Pompey into a 58th-minute lead, only for Oxford's Louie Sibley to net an equaliser and deny Portsmouth their first win of the season.

After conceding 20 goals in nine matches, Pompey head into the weekend with the league's worst defensive record, while they have only mustered nine goals at the opposite end of the pitch, making them the Championship's joint fifth-lowest scorers alongside QPR.

With Portsmouth searching for inspiration, they may be able to find it in the fact they emerged victorious from their most recent trip to Loftus Road in August 2019 when they scored two second-half goals to win 2-0 in an EFL Cup tie.

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

W

D

D

L

L

L

Queens Park Rangers form (all competitions):

D

L

D

L

L

L

Portsmouth Championship form:

L

L

L

D

L

D

Team News

QPR remain without the injured Liam Morrison, while fellow defender Jake Clarke-Salter is a doubt after being forced to miss the last three matches.

Jonathan Varane will serve the final game of a three-match suspension after being shown a straight red card in last month's clash with Blackburn.

The hosts are hopeful that midfielder Jack Colback will recover from injury in time to take his place in Saturday's squad.

As for the visitors, Conor Shaughnessy has suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf injury, with the defender expected to be out for another four to six weeks.

Shaughnessy is joined on the sidelines by long-term absentees Ibane Bowat and Colby Bishop, while Jacob Farrell is set to miss a third straight game with a knee issue.

In positive news, Callum Lang and Kusini Yengi are available for selection, having recovered from their respective injuries.

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:

Nardi; Ashby, Cook, Dunne, Paal; Field, Madsen; Dembele, Andersen, Saito; Frey

Portsmouth possible starting lineup:

Schmid; Poole, McIntyre, Ogilvie; Williams, Potts, Pack, Murphy; Lang, Sorensen; O'Mahony

We say: Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Portsmouth

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