Queens Park Rangers vs Leeds United. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance16,049.
Watch live on Sky Sports Football from 12pm on Saturday; Kick-off is at 12.30pm
Saturday 18 January 2020 14:38, UK
QPR face Leeds in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football.
QPR's new loan signing Jack Clarke could make his debut in the home game against his former club Leeds. Clarke was recalled from his loan spell back at Leeds by Tottenham, who signed him in the summer, and then loaned him back out to London rivals QPR for the rest of the season.
Centre-half Yoann Barbet (hamstring) and midfielder Charlie Owens (knee) remain sidelined.
Striker Jordan Hugill is among those pushing for a recall to the starting line-up as Mark Warburton's side bid for just a second league win in seven matches.
Leeds will be without left-back Barry Douglas, who sustained a knock to his side in last week's home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. Douglas joins midfielder Adam Forshaw (hip) and forward Tyler Roberts (hamstring) in the treatment room.
Versatile winger Stuart Dallas is expected to be fit after limping through the latter stages against Wednesday.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, who has no other new injury or suspension worries, must decide whether to recall fit-again Pablo Hernandez to his starting XI.
QPR had a fantastic start to 2020. On New Year's Day they beat Cardiff 6-1 in the Championship, before following that up with a 5-1 win over Swansea in the FA Cup. They did, however, lose 3-1 in the league last time out to fierce local rivals Brentford.
Leeds drew at West Brom on New Year's Day, lost 1-0 at Arsenal in the FA Cup, despite impressing against their Premier League opposition, but lost 2-0 at home to Sheffield Wednesday in their most recent Championship fixture.
QPR's Mark Warburton: "Last weekend's result really hurt the players and the staff, and a game like Leeds is the sort of one you want after that type of defeat. You want an immediate tough challenge to show the supporters what we are about.
"We have been very good in patches of games this season and it is that consistency that we must have. We had it in the early part of the season and we need it again now.
"No doubt, it will be a very tough test at the weekend. It is a great opportunity for us to show what QPR is all about, in front of a packed stadium."
Leeds' Marcelo Bielsa: "It's not about a geographic matter. Every match, every opponent and every analysis is different. Say that we don't ever win in London. What's to say if we played the same opponent in Birmingham that we would win?
"Every team in a long competition like this one has ups and downs. If you analyse what has happened with West Brom and Leeds, who are top of the table and second in the table, you are going to realise that being regular in a competition with 46 matches is not possible.
"After the match of Arsenal, everyone was saying Leeds are a Premier League team. After the match against Sheffield Wednesday, everyone says we've won one of the last six matches. If we've won one match of the last six, it shows the reality of the team."
It has been a strange 12 months for Jack Clarke. He seemed to be a young star on the rise at Leeds after some fantastic early displays, but only intermittently featured in the second half of last season, after falling ill during a draw with Middlesbrough in February
Still, his performances persuaded Tottenham to sign him, before loaning him back to Leeds for the season. The winger, still just 19, barely played in the first part of the season for Marcelo Bielsa's side. He was recalled by Spurs and now has joined QPR on loan, where the fates have thrown him in for a potential debut against his former club.
He will join a side of talented youngsters, including Ebere Eze, Ilias Chair and Bright Osayi-Samuel, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on.
QPR have won four of their last five home games against Leeds in all competitions, beating them twice during the 2018-19 season in the league and FA Cup.
Leeds have won four of their last five league games against QPR, with their one defeat in this run coming away from home last season.
QPR have scored at least five goals in their last two home games in all competitions - they last scored 5+ goals in three consecutive home matches in December 1930.
Leeds United have won just one of their last 18 away league games in London (W1 D5 L12), losing each of their last five in a row.
Bright Osayi-Samuel has been directly involved in seven goals in his last eight appearances for QPR in all competitions (4 goals, 3 assists).
In his club management career, Marcelo Bielsa has lost three consecutive away games against an opponent only once, losing three in a row away at Santos Laguna as manager of Atlas between December 1993 and November 1994.
It's safe to say QPR were blown away by Brentford last Saturday. It will happen to a few teams for the rest of the season, but it will hurt that much more because it was their fierce rivals inflicting it.
Leeds have stuttered of late and their fans will be starting to worry that they could repeat the slump that saw them falter last season. Draw here for me.
David Prutton predicts: 1-1 (13/2 with Sky Bet)
