QPR's recent improvements will be given the toughest possible test this week with table toppers Chelsea and reigning champions Manchester City up next.

Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers

QPR didn't do very much right at all last time they were in the Premier League — over two long, arduous seasons, they effectively spent £160m making themselves a laughing stock. In fact, the only part of the whole top flight experience Rangers did reacquaint themselves with to any degree of success was playing against Chelsea.

When league games between these two were the norm, they mattered deeply to both clubs. QPR fans would relish tales of Michael Robinson's goal from the halfway line in the League Cup quarter final at Stamford Bridge, and the 6-0 Easter Monday win at Loftus Road. Thoughts of Andy Townsend's remarkable 35 yard screamer at the School End followed by Dennis Wise's bicycle kick to rescue a two-nil deficit and secure a draw pushed to the back of minds. Bradley Allen's penalty miss in the FA Cup tie requiring long, expensive bouts of professional counselling to banish from the memory banks.

Chelsea were starting to move towards the global conglomerate we see today, just as Rangers were selling one too many Les Ferdinands to maintain a Premier League place. The R's lost at home in league and cup to their bitter rivals in the relegation year with players like Ruud Gullit and Gianfranco Zola starting to appear on the scene. While Rangers held bucket collections to stave off a second stint of administration in the Second Division, Chelsea were being bought by a rich Russian and changed from a club that used to mirror QPR's league positions very closely — including stints in the lower divisions — into a Champions League regular. The R's were gone for 15 years and when they came back Chelsea had changed from equals into Andre the Giant.

When they came back to Loftus Road in October 2011, arrogance and ignorance oozed from every pore. Chelsea were no longer bothered with the likes of little old QPR — their attentions and rivalries were now with Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona and so on. They moved in higher circles, and they weren't afraid to tell everybody about it. I remember one troglodyte, old enough and tattooed enough to suggest he'd been around when this was the derby match in West London, but possibly too busy supporting whoever was being successful at that time, bowling down Loftus Road towards Batman Close half an hour before kick off, arms spread wide in a 'come-on then' gesture, offering out fathers walking past with children and shouting obscenities at passers by. He wanted the people of Shepherd's Bush to know what he thought of QPR, and that wasn't that he hated them, or disliked them, or was really concerned about what might happen in the game, but that they were "fucking irrelevant" and were about to be "fucking smashed".

Chelsea even, showing a level of professionalism akin to an alcoholic airline pilot, felt it appropriate top publish a match preview on their official (official) website that even the most partisan fan blog may have considered a little small minded. It was a pat on the head in the written form, talking about how excited QPR would be to have Chelsea visit their little ground, but how a team more used to locking horns with Bayern Munich would need more than a game in the same postal district and 15,000 angry QPR fans to be knocked from their stride.

Of course, as it turned out, Chelsea weren't so much knocked from their stride as comprehensively ironed out on the ground in a remarkable first half that saw Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba sent off and Heidar Helguson giving Rangers the lead with a penalty. Chelsea complained bitterly, as they do, about everything, failing to mention at any point that had Shaun Wright-Phillips been allowed to play on after the Bosingwa foul he'd actually put the ball in the net for 2-0. Failing to mention, also, that Ashley Cole lost his head in the second half and should certainly have been dismissed as well.

And as for that match preview — well, when Juan Mata had to take a corner under the P, Q and R blocks just before half time he got within 15 yards of the ball and decided he'd rather not, gesturing first to the referee that it wasn't safe over there, and then secondly to other team mates who might want to take it. Five minutes later, just before half time, he signalled to the bench that he'd have to be substituted right away.

That was before it came to light that John Terry had deemed the situation frustrating enough to call another professional player a "fucking black cunt" — a saga which dragged on for more than a year and eventually brought down both the England captain and national team manager.

Not bad for what the Chelsea official website had billed before the game as "essentially, just another game against a team lying seventeenth in the table."

One would think that QPR had had their moment in the sun. It was President George W Bush who once said: "fool me once… shame on… shame on you. A fooled man can't get fooled again." Quite. A subsequent FA Cup tie lacked the same ferocity, and was won by Juan Mata from the penalty spot after Mike Dean bought an obvious dive from Daniel Sturridge. At Stamford Bridge, with Big Racist John and the Boys hunting revenge, QPR were utterly insipid and were swept aside 6-1. As fun as that 1-0 had been, it seemed all QPR had succeeded in doing was angering the beast.

But no, a season later, with QPR on the farcical side of shambolic, capable of winning just four league games all season, and Chelsea actually destined to lift the Europa League title in Amsterdam at the end of the season, the ability to niggle and stand up to the team down the road that doesn't care about QPR at all continued. Chelsea escaped with a 0-0 from Loftus Road in September, and should have lost again with Bobby Zamora rounding Petr Cech right at the very end of the game but missing the target with the subsequent shot.

By Christmas it was clear that QPR were very much in trouble, and almost certain to be relegated. We've discussed the abhorrent attitude of that group of playters to their profession, the supremely arrogant way the squad was assembled by Mark Hughes and his Taffia, the idiocy of Tony Fernandes and Phil Beard overseeing it all, and the sorry state it has left our club in a thousand times, and we'll not be going there again today.

Because for one night only, they actually came together and played. Adel Taarabt, used as a lone striker, was mesmerising, leading England's Gary Cahill a merry dance. His assist for the only goal of the game, scored by Wright-Phillips of all wasters, was immaculate. QPR won 1-0 again, making it seven points from a possible 12 and just one defeat from four league games. The R's fans who'd stayed faithful, remained behind the goal long after the final whistle, singing the name of Rafael Benitez.

On Saturday QPR return to Stamford Bridge after nearly two years away, to face a Chelsea side transformed once more since our last visit. Jose Mourinho has returned, bringing an end to a carousel of managers that revolved at least once every six months. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas head an impressive cast list of incomers. The wild, inconsistent jokers who turned in such inconsistent performances under his predecessors have largely been moved on, for incredible amounts of money. Chelsea, unfortunately, look like a remorselessly consistent winning machine this year, with only injuries to their three forwards standing between them and having the league title all wrapped up by the end of March.

What QPR need to take from their previous attempts at this, and their dismal away form so far this season, is that this isn't a "bonus game", this isn't to just be tossed aside as a game Rangers have no chance in, this isn't unwinnable and this matters. The pathetic way QPR allowed a flawed Manchester United team to do as they please at Old Trafford earlier this season, eventually declaring at 4-0, for no other reason than Manchester United used to be good so what's the point in trying, must not be repeated here. Recent history suggest that commitment, a clear plan, organisation, effort and a determination to pray on Chelsea's sense of superiority and therefore potential complacency in this fixture can bring greater rewards than QPR, on paper, should really be capable of.

Defeats are forgivable, surrenders are not.

Links >>> Opposition Interview >>> Betting >>> Podcast >>> Referee >>> Fixture History

QPR celebrate Shaun Wright-Phillips' late winner on their last visit to Stamford Bridge in December 2012. Well, all except Wright-Phillips himself of course. Melt.

Saturday

Chelsea welcome Spanih striker Diego Costa back into their squad after his recent hamstring problems, but Loic Remy is to be denied a start against his former club due to injury. Costa will likely replace Didier Drogba in the starting 11 despite his decent recent form. John Obi Mikel is also sidelined and unavailable but Ramires is fit to start if needed. Cesar Azpilicueta is banned but Branislav Ivanovic is back from suspension.

Elsewhere: The victory against Aston Villa on Monday night means QPR have at least prevented a gap opening up at the bottom of the table. Problem is, games against Big Racist John and the Boys this week, and Manchester City next, offer few points winning opportunities before the international break. It could be another month before a win is registered, and that gap could have reappeared by then.

So it's prayer mats out for injuries and red cards galore on Monday night as Crystal Palace and Sunderland meet at Selhurst Park — both teams are within striking distance of the R's and it would be nice to keep them that way into December when QPR have a series of "winnable games". Likewise Leicester and West Brom who meet on Saturday. Villa are accelerating towards the bottom three so quickly they're whistling through the air — five defeats from five played, no goals scored, since Paul Lambert signed a contract extension — and they have Spurs at home this Sunday.

Meticulous Mark and the Taffia are quietly making their usual bad start to a campaign and defeat at home to in form West Ham may wake one or two pundits up to their potential for struggle this season if Big Sam's Big Fat Brand of Entertaining Football can continue its recent ascent up the table. Newcastle, and Alan 'Pards' Pardew has been touching the red on the Bunga Bunga Bar's smug-o-meter as a result. Their home match with Liverpool, also playing poorly, is an intriguing start to Saturday.

There's some other games as well. The fellating of Southampton moves to Hull this weekend and Everton host Swansea. The Manchester derby between City and Behold Van Gaal is the Sunday early kick off.

Referee: Mike Jones from Cheshire is the man in the middle for this one, his first QPR appointment since the away-leg of the Championship play-off semi-final against Wigan Atheltic last season. He's been a regular official at QPR games over the past decade and you can read his extensive case history with us by clicking clicking here.

Form

QPR: One of QPR's many problems in the modern Premier League era is an inability to win away at the other London clubs — the victory at Stamford Bridge last time they came here is the only success in their last 18 away London derbies in the top flight. Harry Redknapp has lost only one of his last six meetings with Chelsea but has been beaten on all five previous encounters with Jose Mourinho. The R's are in abysmal form on the road so far this season — five defeats from five played, one goal scored, 13 conceded.

Betting: Professional odds compiler Owen Goulding tells us…

"I’m keeping it short this week. QPR have found a little bit of form since Harry decided to start picking the players and system virtually all QPR fans have been crying out for. It’s no genius move in my book and long overdue but at least it’s happened.

"Saturday is definitely one of Harry's 'bonus' games (although I hate that attitude). The truth is after a lacklustre performance against Shrewsbury in midweek, I expect Chelsea to come out flying here. They’ve scored 11 goals in their four home victories so far, conceding only two and Rangers have lost all four away games conceding 12 goals in the process netting just once. I can see this game going a similar way to the form book unfortunately.

"If you want to have a bet on the game the 12/5 Chelsea to score inside first 15 minutes looks a decent price, although I couldn’t bring myself to back it.

Recommended bet: Chelsea v QPR - Time of first Chelsea goal 0-15Mins @12/5 W Hill

"Elsewhere my bet of the weekend comes at the Britannia Stadium where West Ham are 11/5 to beat an out of sorts Stoke. Without suspended duo Peter Crouch and Phil Bardsley, Stoke will have to adjust their style a little bit - contrary to press opinion, their tendency to hit it long to Peter Crouch to set up attacks still exists.

"Mark Hughes is starting to spout rubbish about 'the price of playing good football is results' - pure garbage. West Ham's front two of Sakho and Valencia can cause the stuttering Stoke defence a world of problems and 11/5 seems generous."

Bet of Weekend: West Ham to beat Stoke @ 11/5 (General)

Big Price Goal Scorers:

Luke Wilkinson - Exeter v Luton 9/1 Anytime (General)

Anthony Kay - MK Dons v Swindon 12/1 Anytime WillHill

Grant Hanley - Blackburn v Reading 14/1 Anytime Bet365

Pictures — Action Images

Prediction: Reigning Prediction League champion WestonSuperR tells us…

"There were some good individual performances against Villa on Monday which have all been well documented but the stats were still disappointing - possession and attempts on goal in particular. Still much to improve on if we are to have a good chance of staying up.

"So, despite a great result last time out we still head to Stamford Bridge with a team not producing as it can and we will have to be at our very best to trouble a team that, taking our QPR bias to one side, is clearly the best team in the Premier League this season by some distance. Combine this with the fact Mourinho doesn’t lose league matches at home - is it just the once? - and we have a real task on our hands here. Sadly for me it’s simply a case of how many they get. I think we can frustrate them, possibly even cause them the odd problem, but considering I am trying to give you an honest predication I can’t see past a comfortable win for Chelsea.

John's Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 QPR. No goalscorer.

LFW's Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 QPR. No goalscoeer.

The Twitter @loftforwords

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Photo: Action Images

QPRski added 22:15 - Oct 31 A very interesting analysis and report as always. The result can be anywhere between a "masacre" and a "great result". The hard facts say "masacare" and the heart says "hope". As they say, "it is the hope that kills you". Let's hope! I hope!!!!
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TacticalR added 23:34 - Oct 31 Thanks for your preview. The odds against us really do seem quite overwhelming, so we'd better put those to the back of our mind. Agree that the last thing we need is a limp surrender. The most important thing is to put in a decent defensive performance.
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