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Saturday 18th April 2009
Molineux Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00
Referee: K K Wright
Wolverhampton Wanderers (1st) V Queens Park Rangers (10th)
By thegodfather

After fighting back from two goals down to beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 on Easter Monday, Queens Park Rangers face a daunting trip to automatic promotion contenders, Wolves. Gareth Ainsworth’s men played some very impressive football against the Owls, passing the ball around quickly and effectively and making good use of Cook and Routledge on the wings. If the Rs can produce a similar performance on Saturday, there may be a shock in store for the Wolves supporters.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

A win for Wolves on Saturday would guarantee them promotion to the Premiership. They currently lie at the top of the Championship league table, six points ahead of Birmingham in 2nd place and seven in front of Sheffield United in 3rd position.

It has been a superb season for Mick McCarthy’s men. Other than a brief slump in form during February, Wolves have been excellent both at Molineux and away from home. Their goal-difference of +26 illustrates how strong they have been both in defence and attack.

The home supporters will be expecting a win against a managerless away team. In front of what is likely to be a packed stadium, the Rs are going to have to produce a superb performance if they are to escape with a decent result. The Hoops are capable of beating Wolves, as they showed earlier this season with a 1-0 victory over Wanderers at Loftus Road. Let’s hope that they can do the same again on Saturday.

Men to watch

Championship top scorer, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, could return to the starting line-up on Saturday after missing the last three games through injury. Ebanks-Blake, who was recently named as the Championship’s ‘Player of the Year 2009’, has notched 24 goals this season. The 23 year-old, who started his career with Manchester United, will be a threat to the QPR defence.

Andy Keogh could partner Ebanks-Blake up front. The striker has played a key role in taking Wolves to the brink of promotion, scoring several important goals over the last few weeks, including two against Derby on Easter Monday. The 22 year-old has made 11 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team.

Mick McCarthy could also select striker, Marlon Harewood, who is on loan from Aston Villa. The 29 year-old is a proven goalscorer at this level, having had successful spells with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. He signed for Villa in 2007 but struggled to break into the first-team ahead of the likes of Carew and Agbonlahor.

Without the injured Michael Kightly to supply the crosses, Wolves will have to rely on winger, Matt Jarvis. The pacey 22 year-old started his career at Gillingham, where he made over 100 appearances. He signed for Wolves in 2007 and has established himself as a first-team regular this season. In the fixture at Loftus Road earlier this season, Jarvis came off the bench for the last 15 minutes and looked very impressive. I hope that the QPR full-backs will be able to deal with him on Saturday.

In central midfield, David Jones will probably start. The 24 year-old began his career with Manchester United. He couldn’t break into the first-team at Old Trafford and spent time out on loan with Preston and NEC Nijmegen. A move to Derby County followed but his time at Pride Park was unsuccessful, only making 32 appearances in a two-year spell. Jones signed for Wolves during the summer of 2008 for a reported fee of £1.2 million. He is known for his excellent passing ability.

Karl Henry will probably partner Jones in central midfield. The 26 year-old started his career with Stoke City, where he made over 120 appearances. He signed for Wolves in 2006 and has since become a favourite with the fans, making a significant contribution to this season’s promotion campaign.

In defence, Mick McCarthy has Christophe Berra. The 24 year-old joined Wolves from Hearts in February 2009 for around £2.5 million. He has since earned himself a place in the starting line-up with some excellent performances. Berra has also made 4 appearances for the Scottish national team.

Jody Craddock will partner Berra in the heart of defence. The 33 year-old has made over 160 appearances for Wolves since joining the club in 2003. Craddock was named as captain for the start of the season but suffered a serious injury that led to Karl Henry replacing him as the skipper. He returned to the side for the second half of the campaign and has regained his place in the first-team.

In Wayne Hennessey, McCarthy has arguably the most talented goalkeeper in the Football League. The 22 year-old’s performances have attracted interest from numerous Premier League clubs. He has made 17 appearances for the Welsh national team.

Previous Matches

December 2007 – Wolves were held to a goalless draw by Luigi De Canio’s Queens Park Rangers side at Loftus Road. Wayne Hennessey was the busier goalkeeper, making two excellent saves from Martin Rowlands. The Rs also should have had a penalty when Nygaard was clearly fouled but the appeals were waved away by the referee. Wolves should have taken the lead late on, when Darron Gibson found Stephen Elliott in the penalty area but he could only smash his shot wide of Lee Camp’s goal.

QPR Manager, Luigi De Canio: “What worries me is that we were not awarded a penalty when we should have been. What happened to Nygaard was unbelievable. It was the right result against a team that has many more points than us in the league at the moment, and it means we continue our recent unbeaten run. Our recent performances told me that I could have faith in my team. I am pleased with them.”

Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Wolves

March 2008 – A 95th minute equaliser from Andy Keogh salvaged a point for Wolves against Queens Park Rangers in a pulsating match at Molineux. Akos Buzsaky’s 25-yard screamer put the Rs into the lead early on. However, Andy Keogh equalised just before half time. The next two goals both came from penalties: first Dexter Blackstock converted in the 49th minute and then Sylvain Ebanks-Blake levelled things up in the 69th minute after a foul on Matt Jarvis. Mikele Leigertwood appeared to have scored the winner when he slotted home from the edge of the area but Keogh snatched a point for Wolves in the 95th minute.

QPR Manager, Luigi De Canio: “It's a bit sour to come away from Molineux having scored three goals and not won the match. Two of the Wolves goals were in injury time at the end of each half and that's something I am not too happy about. I don't know where the referee got those extra minutes at the end of the match. We had some good chances but we wasted them. We know we can play good football and we can play much better than that.”

Wolves 3-3 Queens Park Rangers

December 2008 – A fantastic 20-yard strike from Martin Rowlands earned Paulo Sousa’s Queens Park Rangers side all three points against Wolves at Loftus Road. Heidar Helguson and Damien Delaney both tested Wayne Hennessey during the first-half. Rowlands put the Rs in front in the 63rd minute, sending the ball flying into the roof of the net. Sam Vokes was denied an equaliser by Cerny late on as QPR held on for a superb victory in front of the Sky cameras.

QPR Manager, Paulo Sousa: “It was a great performance but more importantly we needed three points. I'm proud of the players, they are working very hard and they have beaten the team at the top of the league. When you have time to work with the players the team becomes better, and you could see that in this game. But our next two games are away, where our performances have not been so good. But if my team create as many chances as they did today then we will start to score goals away.”

Queens Park Rangers 1-0 Wolves

League Form

Queens Park Rangers: WWDLW (Last match – QPR 3-2 Sheff Wed).

Wolverhampton Wanderers: WWLWW (Last match – Derby 2-3 Wolves).

QPR Team News

Kaspars Gorkss suffered a head injury after clashing with Sheffield Wednesday’s Sodje on Easter Monday. He could be named on the substitutes’ bench. Heidar Helguson, Jordi Lopez and Damion Stewart all returned to the starting line-up against the Owls after recovering from injuries and are likely to start against Wolves. It has been rumoured on the We Are The Rangers Boys forum this week that Patrick Agyemang, who has missed the last few months through injury, could make an appearance against Preston on the last day of the season. He will not be back for Saturday’s game though. Akos Buzsaky and Martin Rowlands remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

Queens Park Rangers can expect there to be an intimidating atmosphere on Saturday. I hope that this does not affect the team.

I think that Wolves will try to kill the game off early. If the Rs can survive the early attacks and frustrate Wanderers, the home supporters may begin to turn on their own team. I am actually quietly confident about this game. I predict a 1-1 draw.

Wolves 1-1 Queens Park Rangers