Friday 30th October 2009
The Coca Cola Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Kick-off: 19:45
Referee: J Moss
Queens Park Rangers (7th) V Leicester City (5th)
By The Godfather

Friday night fixtures always remind me of that disastrous 4-0 defeat to Cardiff City at Loftus Road in the 2002/03 season. I remember turning up to watch a Rangers side devoid of creativity and passion being absolutely destroyed by the pace and skill of Robert Earnshaw. Fast-forward six years and things couldn’t be more different for our beloved club.....

Queens Park Rangers continued their excellent form last Saturday, coming from behind to secure a 4-2 victory over Derby County in front of the BBC television cameras. Over the last couple of weeks or so QPR have produced some of the best football I have seen at Loftus Road for years, netting four goals in each of their last three matches. At the moment everything seems to be clicking into place. Let's hope the results continue on Friday night in another televised encounter.

Leicester City

Season 2008-09 finish: 1st place (League One).

Manager: Nigel Pearson.

In my WATRB Championship Preview I predicted a successful season for Leicester City. With a talented manager, substantial financial backing and a decent squad of players, the Foxes might fancy themselves as play-off contenders. They have certainly started the campaign very well, taking 24 points from 14 matches, currently sitting in 5th position in the league table.

Over the last couple of weeks, Leicester have been linked with an ambitious move for former Juventus, AC Milan, Internazionale and Tottenham midfielder, Edgar Davids. A deal could be completed before Friday night’s game. Davids was once ranked as one of the best players in the world, but whether he still has what it takes at the age of 36 remains to be seen. I have to say, this deal, if completed, would remind me of QPR’s signing of Damiano Tommasi – and, to put it bluntly, he couldn’t keep up with the pace of the English game. Perhaps Davids will be different. Who knows?

Men to watch

Leicester City's main attacking threat will be Matty Fryatt, who played a key role in the club's promotion campaign, netting an incredible tally of 32 goals. The 23 year-old, who previously enjoyed a successful spell with Walsall, has already scored eight times this season. A clinical finisher, Fryatt must be marked closely on Friday night.

Pearson could select Steve Howard to partner Fryatt up front. The 33 year-old has enjoyed a successful career, having scored over 170 league goals overall. He signed for the Foxes in 2008 and made a massive contribution to the club's promotion last season. The former Hartlepool, Luton and Derby striker will provide an aerial threat on Friday night.

The manager also has strikers, Martyn Waghorn, Paul Gallagher and DJ Campbell, at his disposal, all of whom offer pace and skill to the Foxes' frontline. As can be seen, Leicester are certainly not short of firepower in attack.

In central midfield, Richie Wellens could be handed a start. After a successful two-year spell with Doncaster Rovers, the 29 year-old signed for Leicester during the summer in a deal worth up to £1.2 million. Wellens offers the Foxes skill and creativity in the middle of the park.

Matthew Oakley could play alongside Wellens. The 32 year-old started his career at Southampton, making over 250 appearances in a twelve-year spell. A move to Derby followed, but after being forced out of the first team he joined the Foxes in 2008. Since then he has established himself as a regular in the starting line-up with some hard-working performances.

At the back, Rangers fans may remember Wayne Brown who spent a few weeks on loan at Loftus Road in 2001. The experienced centre-half also lists Ipswich, Colchester and Hull among his former clubs. The 32 year-old signed for the Foxes during the summer. He could provide a stern test for the QPR forwards on Friday night.

Versatile defender, Ryan McGivern, could also feature in Pearson's side. At the age of 19, the former Morecambe man already has 8 international caps for Northern Ireland. McGivern can play as a full-back or in the heart of defence.

In goal, Chris Weale is likely to keep his place. The 27 year-old signed for Leicester during the summer after failing to break into the first team at Bristol City. The former Yeovil goalkeeper is an excellent shot-stopper.

Previous Match

January 2008 - Queens Park Rangers secured a comfortable victory over Ian Holloway's Leicester side at Loftus Road. Damion Stewart's header put the Rs into the lead, before Bolder's close-range effort doubled the Super Hoops' advantage. Blackstock sealed the victory after the break with a powerful header, before Iain Hume grabbed a consolation goal with a wonderful free-kick.

QPR Manager, Luigi De Canio: "We played well but we still can and must play better. The players need to keep on improving in certain areas and defending is an example of that, we must concentrate for 90 minutes. When we score, we must not be content with that. We must keep trying to score a second and third goal because the best form of defence is attack."

QPR 3-1 Leicester City

League Form

We all know about Queens Park Rangers' outstanding form over the last couple of weeks. The Super Hoops have won their last three matches comfortably, scoring four goals in each game.

Leicester also come into this fixture on the back of victories. The Foxes have won their last two matches against Crystal Palace (2-0) and Reading (0-1).

QPR Team News

Ben Watson is still suspended after his bizarre red card against Reading. Matthew Connolly is suffering from glandular fever. Hogan Ephraim and Angelo Balanta are struggling with injuries and Martin Rowlands and Lee Cook remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

I don't think that this will be a thrashing. Leicester are also enjoying a good run of form and have some very talented players. Moreover, Nigel Pearson is a manager who I rate very highly. I expect that the Foxes will try to close down the likes of Taraabt, Routledge and Buzsaky as much as possible. Even so, I can see this being another high-scoring game.

I still think that QPR will have too much quality for the Leicester team on Friday night. I'm confident that this will be a win, but probably a narrower one.

Queens Park Rangers 3-2 Leicester City