Queens Park Rangers

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QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes speaking to BBC after their 3-0 loss to Swansea:

"It was a disappointing first half. We knew Swansea would try to start strongly and they are a side that likes to control possession.

"We knew we needed to defend our box well because they are a team that likes to cross a lot, but we were late in the duels and gave them the extra second that makes the difference in quality players breaking the lines.

"Our first half was very poor and we weren't at the level we were in our last few games. We gave them the opportunities to score.

"The second half was about showing pride and to compete for the fans who had travelled. We made a step forward.

"We talked about trying to score in the opening minutes of the second half to try to make a comeback but it wasn't enough. We have to move on."

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Luke Williams reckons Queens Park Rangers may now be showing their true colours having pulled clear of the Championship relegation scrap thanks to a seven-game unbeaten run.

Rangers looked to be in for an arduous campaign as they won only one of their first 16 league matches in 2024-25, with pressure on boss Marti Cifuentes.

But the London club visit Swansea on 26 December (15:00 GMT) buoyed by a spectacular turnaround in form which has seen them take 15 points from their last seven league outings.

Victory in Swansea would see the Hoops, who are up to 14th in the table, climb above their hosts and potentially into the top half as both sides reach the halfway point in the Championship campaign.

"This could be an example of a team who have been in a false position and the second half of the season will be in reverse for them," said Swansea head coach Williams.

"We have to make sure we prepare correctly because it's almost a unique fixture in the calendar because of the festivities and the change in people's routines.

"It's going to be a really difficult game because they are in a very, very different place to where they have been."

While Rangers are enjoying their best run of the season, they may have to do without influential defender Steve Cook after the former Bournemouth player came off during last Saturday's 2-1 win over Preston North End.

Swansea are likely to have the same squad as they did for their miserable defeat at Hull City last weekend.

There are only two points between Swansea City and QPR going into Thursday's game, the Swans sitting in 11th and the Hoops 14th.

Swansea have won just one game in their past five and are level on points with Bristol City.

QPR are seven points above the relegation zone and have found some decent form as of late with three wins and two draws in their past five games.

• Swansea City have won one of their last seven league games against QPR (D3 L3), a 1-0 home win in the 2022-23 season.

• QPR have won three of their last four away league matches against Swansea (L1), winning all three by a 1-0 scoreline in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2023-24.

• Swansea City have lost five of their last six league games on Boxing Day, but the other game was a 2-0 win over QPR in 2020.

• QPR have won one of their last 10 league matches on Boxing Day (D2 L7), failing to score in each of their last four since a 3-0 win over Ipswich in 2018.

• Queens Park Rangers are winless in their last 22 away games on Boxing Day (D7 L15) since Alec Stock led them to a 1-0 win over Plymouth in 1967.

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Queens Park Rangers captain Steve Cook will miss at least the next 10 days with a foot injury.

Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes previously said he would not "play doctor" and predict the severity of the injury to the centre-back.

The 33-year-old was injured in his side's 2-1 comeback victory over Preston North End at Loftus Road on Saturday.

The club said in an update that a scan confirmed Cook suffered a plantar fascia injury which does not require surgery.

Cook will be assessed in 10 days, they added, but it is currently unclear the exact amount of time he will be absent.

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QPR boss Marti Cifuentes said he would not "play doctor" and predict the severity of the injury to Hoops captain Steve Cook.

The 33-year-old centre-back was injured in his side's 2-1 comeback victory over Preston North End at Loftus Road on Saturday.

The visitors took the lead in controversial fashion when Milutin Osmajic scored past Rangers keeper Paul Nardi with Cook down with what looked like a serious injury.

Rayan Kolli equalised early in the second half before Jimmy Dunne's third goal of the season in the 89th minute earned the home side a crucial three points that moved them up to 14th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Cifuentes said he did not know the severity of Cook's injury, with his skipper due to have a scan on Sunday.

"That's the only negative part - that we got another injury," he said.

"I don't want to play doctor. Let's see the test. He felt an acute pain.

"It seems it's the sole – a soft-tissue issue. We need to make some tests. I've spoken with him and we're not sure if it's going to be a big one or not, but he was in some pain."

Cifuentes has been hampered with injuries to key players, such as Ilias Chair, Kader Dembele, Michael Frey, Jake Clarke-Salter and Jack Colback for much of this season.

Frey returned from the bench on Saturday in a welcome sight for QPR, while Zan Celar remains out injured.

Rangers have now gone seven games unbeaten and travel to Swansea City on Boxing Day.

QPR welcome Preston to west London on Saturday with both sides seeking to make it seven games unbeaten.

The Lilywhites are a point and two places ahead of the 18th-placed Rs but the sides have identical wins, goals scored and conceded as they have hauled themselves away from the relegation zone.

• QPR won each of their two league games against Preston North End last season without conceding a goal and will be looking to win three in succession for the first time.

• Preston North End have won five of their past eight away league games against QPR (L3), scoring 2+ goals in six of those matches.

• QPR are unbeaten across their past six league games (W3 D3), keeping four clean sheets in their last five – the same amount the London side had kept across their prior 22 league outings combined.

• Preston have won just one of their past 11 league games (D8 L2), though their sole victory in that time did come during their last away match in a 2-0 success over Cardiff City.

• No player in the Championship has won more duels than QPR's Jimmy Dunne so far this season (170), while the defender also ranks third league-wide for clearances made (116).

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Marti Cifuentes says it would be a 'huge mistake' for QPR to assume they have turned a corner despite extending their unbeaten run to six games with a 1-1 draw at Bristol City.

Rangers were bottom of the table less than three weeks ago but have climbed to 18th place, five points above the bottom three after collecting 11 points from a possible 15.

Head coach Cifuentes told BBC Radio London: "This is a relentless, ruthless league and you need to be on top of your qualities every time.

"It'd be a huge mistake as a team, as a club, to think that everything is fine. Football is about small margins, right now those small margins are helping us to get points and of course the team keeps growing.

"But the reality is there are a lot of things we need to improve and hopefully everyone can understand that."

QPR failed to register a shot at goal in the first half at Ashton Gate but improved after the break as Paul Smyth's remarkable 40-yard chip into an unguarded net cancelled out Scott Twine's free-kick.

Young striker Alfie Lloyd provided more attacking threat after coming on at half-time and Cifuentes added: "Alfie is coming back from injury, he's still on his way back to match fitness and it was a step in the right direction.

"He did really well, running in behind and giving the centre-halves some difficulties."

Bristol City host QPR at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon and after contrasting starts to the season, the teams are separated by just five points ahead of kick-off.

The Robins have one win in five while the Rs are unbeaten in five and have kept four straight clean sheets to climb away from the foot of the table.

Quirky one this fixture, eight of the last nine meetings have been won by the away side, with the other game a draw.

• After winning six consecutive league games against QPR between 2018 and 2020, Bristol City have won just two of the past seven against the London side (D1 L4).

• QPR have won each of their past four away league games against Bristol City after failing to win on any of their 10 previous visits (D4 L6).

• Bristol City have lost just two of their past 14 home league games (W7 D5), keeping seven clean sheets in that run, including in their most recent home game against Plymouth (4-0).

• QPR have failed to score in five of their past six away league games (W1 D2 L3), though have kept a clean sheet in three of their past four road games, as many as in the 14 before that.

• Only Plymouth Argyle (18) have had fewer shots on target away from home in the Championship this season than QPR (21).

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QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes hailed Sam Field's impact after the midfielder scored both goals to help the Rs to an important win over Oxford United.

Field struck twice in the opening stages of the second half - his first goals of the season - to haul the Hoops away from the bottom five of the Championship.

A fourth straight clean sheet made it five games unbeaten for Rangers and Cifuentes told BBC Radio London: "It was a difficult game - I knew this would be as Oxford are in a similar place to us in the table.

"You could see the expectation from our fans in the first half – they have a taste for good football. We were disappointed about the first-half performance but we knew we could adjust some details. We were definitely the better side in the second half."

Field scored on 53 and 68 minutes and his boss added: "He has been playing in the number six and number eight. Every time he plays number eight he shows the capacity to get into the second line and get onto the second ball.

"We need to keep encouraging him. It was not an easy decision to drop Kieran Morgan after a fantastic performance against Norwich, but we felt it was important to introduce some fresh legs. Sam is an important person in the dressing room."

QPR also secured a fourth successive clean sheet and their sixth overall in the Championship, all of which have been earned in the last nine games - outlining their improvement.

"I am pleased for Sam, but everyone else who is contributing," Cifuentes added.

"To have four clean sheets is satisfying. We have been defending well. I am pleased that Paul [Nardi] hasn't had much work to do, and that says a lot about how the team is getting better.

"The fans have been fantastic and now we want to give them something back."

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QPR have confirmed forward Zan Celar will face an unspecified "period of time" out of action because of a hamstring injury.

The Slovenia striker was forced off after just 13 minutes of Saturday's 3-0 win over Norwich City.

"The performance services department are currently working through early medical processes to ensure he is on the correct rehabilitation path and a further update on his timelines will be provided in due course," the club said in an injury update., external

Celar went goalless in his first 16 appearances for QPR after signing from Swiss side Lugano in the summer.

He finally broke his duck with both goals in a 2-0 win at Cardiff last month.

In more positive injury news for the R's, QPR say they expect to have Ilias Chair, Michael Frey and Jake-Clarke Salter back before the busy festive period of fixtures.

Rangers host Oxford United in the Championship on Wednesday evening looking to make it five league games unbeaten for the first time since October 2022.

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Two wins and two draws from their past four Championship matches has QPR fourth in the division's form table.

The Londoners have not gone five league games unbeaten since October 2022.

While QPR's trend is tracking upwards, Oxford's form across the past four Championship games is the second worst in the division, only behind Hull City.

• This is the first league meeting between QPR and Oxford United since March 1999, a match during which the London side ran out 1-0 winners.

• Oxford United have failed to win any of their past nine away league games against QPR (D3 L6) since a 2-1 victory back in December 1969.

• QPR are winless across their past 11 league games against newly-promoted sides (D3 L8) since a 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic in October 2022.

• Oxford are unbeaten across their past four away league games against sides from London (W3 D1), their longest such run since March 2016 (six matches).

• Oxford have won just two of their past 13 away league games played in midweek (D4 L7 – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), conceding five goals in total across their two such matches this season.

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QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes says he is refusing to look at the Championship table despite taking his side off the bottom and out of the relegation zone in the past fortnight.

Rangers' 3-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday was their first home league victory of the season and saw them climb out of the bottom three ahead of Wednesday's meeting with Oxford United.

"It was the same when we were at the bottom - I don't look at the table, it's about focusing on ourselves, on our performance and trying to get as many points as possible," said Cifuentes.

"I don't want to be in the same situation we were in last March and April where we knew we had to get a certain number of points and we were on the edge."

QPR now sit one point clear of the drop zone having drawn two and won two of their past four games.

"The challenge now becomes even bigger - the nature of the human being is to relax when things go well but we want to win against Oxford, it's going to be difficult so we need to keep improving," Cifuentes said.

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The Championship's lowest scorers - QPR, with 15 goals from 18 matches - take on the highest in the shape of Norwich City, who have found the net almost twice per game on average so far.

Rangers are yet to win at home this season, but could climb out of the bottom three if they end that sequence.

They go into the game unbeaten in three matches after following up their 2-0 victory at Cardiff with a creditable scoreless draw away to Watford last weekend.

The ninth-placed Canaries, who walloped Plymouth 6-1 before hitting another four goals in their home win against Luton last weekend, are looking to narrow the gap to the top six which currently stands at five points.

● QPR have failed to win any of their last eight league games against Norwich City (D4 L4), scoring more than one goal in just one of those matches.

● Norwich City are unbeaten across their last four away league games against QPR (W2 D2), while losing on just two of their last 10 such trips (W4 D4).

● QPR are unbeaten in their last three league games (W1 D2) and could keep three successive clean sheets for the first time since December 2023.

● Norwich are looking to win three successive league games for the first time since March last season, while the Canaries have scored 3+ goals in six of their last 13 league games, including each of their last two.

● Since the start of November, only Ben Doak (5) has more Championship assists than Norwich's Jack Stacey (4), assisting in each of his last three league games. Indeed, since the start of last season, he's one of only four defenders with more than 10 assists in the competition (11).

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