Queens Park Rangers

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Queens Park Rangers forward Alfie Lloyd has signed a new contract at Loftus Road, calling it the proudest day of his career.

The 21-year-old has made 19 appearances for the Hoops, scoring his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in September.

Lloyd is the second player in as many days to commit his future to the club after Rangers announced midfielder Kieran Morgan had signed a new "long-term" contract on Tuesday.

"This is the proudest day of my career so far," Lloyd told the club website. , external

"To be able to extend my stay at this great club is a brilliant feeling.

"I don't want to get too high about it because it is a continuation of what I have already been doing but I am just grateful that Christian [Nourry, chief executive] and the gaffer [Marti Cifuentes] have given me this opportunity to continue my development here."

QPR have not revealed the lengths of the deals signed by Lloyd or Morgan.

The Rs are unbeaten in three Championship games and travel to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

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Queens Park Rangers midfielder Kieran Morgan has signed a new "long-term" deal with the Championship club.

The 18-year-old has become a regular in Marti Cifuentes' side, making 17 appearances for the club since his senior debut in October.

Morgan scored his first goal for the club when he came off the bench in a 1-1 draw with Coventry City in just his second appearance.

The teenager, who was released by Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, has started each of the Hoops' past five league games.

"Ever since I have come in, I have felt at home straight away. My family have said that as well, when they come and watch there is a family feel," he told the club's website, external.

"You have got to feel good off the pitch to play well on the pitch, and I think I have shown that.

"With opportunities that have come around I have taken them, and that's credit to the staff that have trusted me, and the players."

After a tough start to the season, QPR have risen to 13th in the table with just one defeat in their last 11 matches.

The Rs, who were knocked out of the FA Cup in a 6-2 hammering at Leicester City at the weekend, travel to struggling Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Brisbane Roar's teenage striker Thomas Waddingham was left out of the A-League side's squad this weekend amid speculation over a bid from Sheffield Wednesday, with QPR and Portsmouth also interested. (Sheffield Star, external)

Burnley boss Scott Parker is prepared to part ways with Hjalmar Ekdal and Hannes Delcroix this month, putting QPR, Stoke, Rangers and a clutch of continental clubs on high alert. (Football League World, external)

QPR are set to battle Blackburn to the capture of veteran Crystal Palace midfielder Jeffrey Schlupp, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Football League World, external)

Want more EFL transfer stories? Read Sunday's full gossip column.

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BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for all 32 FA Cup third round games and given his verdict on who will make it into round four.

For this week's matches he is up against actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who is a Liverpool fan.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

What does Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy do here?

His side are in the relegation zone, after five straight defeats. While you may say they should focus on trying to stay up, they are clearly desperate for some confidence and the FA Cup could help give them some.

I suspect he will a) want to get a win under his belt and b) avoid the embarrassment of losing to a Championship side at home.

QPR are in mid-table but they have just won back-to-back games, against Luton and Watford, and they will make things difficult for the Foxes.

It is going to be close but Van Nistelrooy badly needs a win to end this run his side are on, and I think he will get it.

Billy's prediction: 2-2, QPR to win on penalties

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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None of the past 11 meetings between Leicester and QPR in all competitions have been drawn, with the Foxes winning six times to QPR's five.

The London side were victorious in the most recent such meeting, winning 2-1 at King Power Stadium in the Championship last season.

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Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been named the EFL's Championship manager of the month for December.

Leeds were unbeaten last month, with five wins and one draw from their six games, which saw them finish 2024 top of the table.

They also only conceded two goals in that run, while scoring 13.

It is the first time Farke has won the award this season.

Leeds have drawn their opening two games of January and host Harrogate Town in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes, Burnley's Scott Parker and Danny Rohl of Sheffield Wednesday were also nominated for the award.

QPR and Sheffield Wednesday are in competition to sign Brisbane Roar striker Thomas Waddingham, with the 19-year-old scoring four goals in 11 appearances for the Australian A League side this season. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip here.

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Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes. Leeds United's Daniel Farke, Burnley's Scott Parker and Danny Rohl of Sheffield Wednesday are the four nominees for the Championship's manager of the month award for December.

Rangers started last month second from bottom of the Championship but took 11 points from six games to finish the year in 17th place, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Under Farke, Leeds went unbeaten through the month of December with five wins and one draw which left them top of the table at the end of 2024.

Burnley's amazing defensive record was once again to the fore last month as they conceded only three goals in their six unbeaten games, with three wins and three draws keeping Parker's side well in the race for automatic promotion.

Rohl has led Wednesday into the top half of the Championship and to the fringes of the play-off race.

The Owls came from behind to beat Derby and Oxford before recovering a 3-0 deficit at Middlesbrough to secure a 3-3 draw.

The winner of the award will be announced on Friday morning.

Image source, Rex Features

QPR face a big challenge at Premier League side Leicester City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday despite Rangers' excellent run of form, says head coach Marti Cifuentes.

Monday's 2-1 Championship win over Luton Town has lifted the R's up to 13th place in the table and it is now just one defeat from their past 11 games.

The Londoners have only been past the third-round stage of the competition once in the past four seasons and lost 3-2 at home to Bournemouth last season despite leading 2-0 at the interval.

"Playing in the FA Cup is a pleasure because of the history and meaning of a competition like this," Cifuentes told BBC Radio London.

"Hopefully we can do a better job than last season against Bournemouth where we had a fantastic first half but I'm still thinking about the second half."

Leicester are on a five-game losing streak in the Premier League but Cifuentes is taking nothing for granted.

"It's going to be a challenge because it's not easy to play away against a Premier League club but we are going to do our best," he added.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes wants to keep Slovenian striker Zan Celar at the club this month, despite reports linking him with a move to Werder Bremen. (Football League World, external)

Want more EFL transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column.

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QPR boss Marti Cifuentes has heaped praise on his squad following Monday night's 2-1 home victory over Luton Town at Loftus Road.

The victory was Rangers' fifth home win a row, helping Cifuentes' side jump to 13th in the Championship, but the Spaniard's praise was directed at his squad's commitment throughout the current campaign.

"I've been saying that even when we were in a bad trend, if there is something we cannot criticise about this group is that they are an honest group," Cifuentes told BBC Radio London.

"They work really hard so now it's very easy to just highlight those things - trust me, I was highlighting those things when we were in a bad trend."

A home draw with Stoke City in November saw Rangers drop to the foot of the table, without a win in 13 matches in all competitions.

Since then a run of six wins in their next 10 matches has seen the West Londoners move nine points clear of the relegation zone but Cifuentes is not getting overly excited with his side's current form.

"It's important that we keep that mindset so we cannot keep getting carried away because the team is in good form," he added.

"We need to keep pushing and that's definitely the foundation of getting good performances."

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Under-pressure Luton boss Rob Edwards said the "footballing gods are against us" as QPR consigned the Hatters to their 10th consecutive defeat on the road.

Morgan Fox's fortunate winner continued the Hoops' revival under Marti Cifuentes, as the midfielder deflected Ilias Chair's wayward shot into the net, while Luton have now lost four Championship games in a row.

The Rs were fortuitous with both goals in their 2-1 win, as Michael Frey's opener should have been penalised for handball.

"We've had some big chances ourselves, but it's another game sitting here saying the same sort of things," Edwards said after the game at Loftus Road.

"They got a really fortuitous goal. You're looking up to the heavens at that point. Every week on the road we seem to be getting hit and hit and hit.

"Things have gone against us recently. It just seems the footballing gods are against us.

"The results are not good enough. The players are giving everything, but we are in a results business."

Luton travel to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round on Saturday before their next Championship fixture is against Preston North End on 18 January.

QPR go into their Monday night game at home to Luton four points ahead of the Hatters in the Championship table.

The Hoops are on a run of one defeat in 10 and are just four points away from the top half of the table, while Rob Edwards' side have lost four of their past five games and are only three points above the drop-zone, having played more games than some of the sides chasing them.

• Queens Park Rangers have lost only one of their past 15 home league games against Luton Town (W9 D5), though that sole defeat came in the most recent in December 2022, when they were beaten 3-0.

• Luton Town have won two of their past three league meetings with QPR (L1), as many victories over the Hoops as across their 25 prior games (D9 L14).

• Queens Park Rangers have won just one of their past six home league games played on a Monday (D1 L4), beating Derby County 1-0 in April 2022.

• Luton Town have lost each of their last nine away games, the longest ongoing losing streak on the road in England's top four tiers.

• Luton's most recent away game in London played on a Monday saw them beaten 7-0 by Fulham in May 2022, though the Hatters won their only game in the capital so far this season, 1-0 at Millwall.