QPR 'must be focused' for visit of 'unknown' Saints

Queens Park Rangers head coach Julien Stephan says they must focus on themselves as they prepare for the visit of Southampton who sacked boss Will Still on Sunday.

Saints head to Loftus Road just outside the relegation places with two wins from 13 matches.

"It's a special game because they just changed the manager two days ago. We don't know how they will play, which player, which structure, which organisation," Stephan told BBC Radio London.

"It's an opportunity for us to stay focused only on us, in fact. We don't have to speak about Southampton because we don't know how they will play.

"We just have to correct what we have to correct on the pitch, and to restart a new momentum for us."

QPR head into Wednesday's match on the back of a disappointing 4-1 home defeat by Ipswich, and Stefan wants to use Saints' situation to their advantage.

"It's a good moment to stay focused and to stay positive. It was one defeat against a very good team, who were also very clinical," he added.

All three teams the Hoops play this week - Ipswich, Southampton and Sheffield United - have been in the Premier League in the past couple of seasons and Stephan says that is a factor.

"The big difference when you play against these kind of teams who play the level in the Premier league, they can take the decision in the final third and 'kill you' when they have the opportunity," he said.

"(Ipswich), in fact, was the case in the opening minute. We had more players in the box that them, but they won the one-on-one with the header.

"It was the same thing with the third goal. This is the quality of the players, and this is the big difference with possibly other teams who don't score in that situation."

"It is the same thing when they have set-pieces or a free-kick in the final 25 metres. They shot perfectly and they scored."

'This is a young team'

All the Championship teams will go into another international break after the weekend's matches, but Stephan does not think results will alter his view on the season so far.

"This international break is probably still only 30, 33% of the League (completed)," he added.

"It will be a first little, very short assessment.

"But even if we have a good result or not, it won't change anything in my mind. Just continue to work with the players, continue the process of development.

"We have to remember always that this is a young team with young players. Many, many players are discovering the Championship (this season), and you need to accept that sometimes you have very good moments, and some bad moments.

"We will have to deal with that, and keep our mindset, and keep the right trajectory to develop this team and to develop the players."

The last time QPR had three games in a week, Stephan made a number of squad changes, but he says this week is different.

"Last time we only had three days between the second (Swansea) and the third (Derby) matches, and two games away.

"We have four days between games this time. I think for the players that is enough time to recover. This is a different situation. We have just to react now."