We might think it’s a good time to play Queens Park Rangers after their unbeaten run came to an end, but Simon Grayson has warned that the visitors will be looking to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Watford.
There’s going to be another big crowd at Elland Road tomorrow, with 28,000 tickets sold already, and the final attendance is expected to top 30,000. And as Simon Grayson told the official site “It’s a great effort when you consider it is the Saturday before Christmas. I hope we have a result waiting for those people who are coming.”
Our win at Burnley last week, coupled with QPR’s surprise 3-1 defeat at home to Watford, took Leeds to within six points of the league leaders, albeit with a far worse goal difference. But Grayson warned his players not to think that the Rs are starting to slip. "They've had a fantastic start to the season. They had a poor result last week and they will be looking to bounce back, but to get to December and only lose once says a lot about them. They are top of the division and rightly so”.
Leeds have no new injury worries, and could well field the same starting line-up that took to the field at Turf Moor. We will be hoping to have Andy O’Brien back after his thigh problem, but if he doesn’t make it then Collins will again deputise. And we’re lucky to have our other central defender available, as Alex Bruce escaped unscathed from an accident on the M1 in icy conditions this morning, even though his car was written off.
On QPR’s official site, Neil Warnock was asking his players to 'regroup' following their defeat on Friday. "We've got some tough fixtures coming up - Leeds, Swansea, Coventry and Norwich over the Christmas period - but they're the types of games you need after a defeat. We've made a good start to the season and we'll move on after one defeat in 20. It will be a good test for us now and I'm looking forward to going to those big stadiums in front of 30,000 odd people and going out to win the games."
There will be one or two familiar faces in the QPR line-up, with Shaun Derry in midfield and our former loan player Hogan Ephraim on the wing. And Rob Hulse is hoping to start up front having been a substitute for the defeat against Watford because of illness. His fellow striker Patrick Agyemang has been nursing a thigh problem and will have a fitness test before the game.
It’s certainly no surprise to see QPR at the top of the table, with a combination of a manager with a good track record at this level and considerable financial backing, but I think that Leeds can get at least a draw out of this game.