Queens Park Rangers

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Image source, Getty Images

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."

Image source, PA Media

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.

Image source, Getty Images

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes was left with mixed feelings after conceding a late goal in his side's 1-1 draw at Norwich City.

"We performed at a good level in the first half, the guys showed personality and enthusiasm," he told the club website., external

"The second half was not the picture that we wanted. We started to drop lower."

Cifuentes still has reason to take pride as his side closed the gap to five places to Norwich, having been 14 places below the Canaries at the end of November.

"The guys showed big commitment, it's difficult to be critical with the way they work," the R's manager said.

"Always my goal - even if we are leading - is to try and score the second [goal].

"To be fair, Norwich deserved their equaliser because they were pushing."

Andy Rowley
BBC Radio London

Image source, Getty Images

What do QPR need in January?

With a fully-fit squad they look solid in goal, defence and central midfield but need cover at full-back and strengthening in attack.

Top scorer Michael Frey has four goals in all competitions, and had been out injured for two months before returning off the bench against Preston before Christmas, while Sam Field, Jimmy Dunne and Rayan Kolli are the next on the list with three.

Zan Celar has struggled since joining the club in the summer and scored his first two goals at the end of November, while one of their biggest players, Ilias Chair, has yet to score after an injury-disrupted start to the season.

What sort of business are they likely to do?

You would expect they will be looking at the areas mentioned above, but in terms of goalscorers, they will find it a difficult market in January. They went into the season with two recognised strikers in the squad and we've seen the risk that poses.

How successful have they been in recent January windows?

There has not been too much to shout about in recent years, although the signings of Lucas Andersen (from Aalborg BK) and Michael Frey (from Royal Antwerp) could be said to have made a difference last season as both featured in a strong second half of the campaign, scoring one goal each.

Are there likely to be any notable departures?

It looks unlikely that anyone will be leaving, given they really need everyone they have and I am not sure they would be inclined to sell unless it was an offer they couldn't refuse.

How important is the transfer window likely to be in determining the success of their season?

There were quite high hopes after the strong finish to last season. But a poor run of results from mid-September for a couple of months drained a lot of that. Things picked up with a seven-game unbeaten run, including four wins and four clean sheets, that ended at Swansea on Boxing Day.

It could be important to get a forward in to help young Kolli, who has shown good potential and scored two important goals off the bench against Norwich and another against Preston.

Norwich City welcome Queens Park Rangers to Carrow Road on Sunday in a clash between two sides with very different records as of late.

QPR sit 17th in the Championship, four points adrift of the 12th-placed Canaries. But with just one loss in their previous eight matches, the Rs have closed the gap between themselves and their upcoming hosts, who on Boxing Day picked up their first win in five to halt a recent slide down the league table.

Sunday's visitors also emerged victorious from the last meeting between these two sides, which finished 3-0 in west London earlier this month.

• Norwich have lost just one of their last 19 home league games against QPR (W13 D5), losing 1-0 back in September 2008.

• QPR have scored just one goal in their last six league visits to Norwich City (D2 L4) with Bright Osayi-Samuel scoring a penalty in a 1-1 draw in 2020-21.

• Norwich have won their final league game in just one of the last 13 calendar years (D6 L6), beating Aston Villa in the Premier League in 2015.

• QPR have ended the year with a league win in just two of the last 13 calendar years (D6 L5), winning 2-1 at Wolves in 2016 and 2-1 at Bristol City in 2021.

• Queens Park Rangers have won just one of their last 25 away league games against sides beginning with N (D10 L14), winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in December 2018.

Image source, Getty Images

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."

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Image source, Rex Features

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.