Saturday 14th August 2010
Npower Football League Championship
Bramall Lane Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00
Referee: K A Woolmer
Sheffield United V Queens Park Rangers
By The Godfather

Tuesday night's embarrassing defeat to Port Vale has transformed QPR supporters' early feelings of optimism into those of real concern about the season ahead. The manager fielded a fairly strong side against the League Two club, which was more than capable of winning the game. Yet the Rs were utterly outfought and, frankly, outclassed by the Valiants. The performance is obviously going to have to be much better if the Super Hoops are to gain a decent result against Warnock's former club, Sheffield United, on Saturday afternoon.

Sheffield United

Manager: Kevin Blackwell

Season 2009-10 finish: 8th position

Warnock was in charge of Sheffield United for eight years, a period during which he led the club to FA Cup and League Cup semi-finals and eventually promotion to the Premiership. Following the Blades' relegation in 2007, he resigned. His successor, Bryan Robson, became unpopular with United's supporters after a series of poor results, and he was replaced with Kevin Blackwell.

Blackwell is another manager who favours a very direct and physical style of football - perhaps even more so than Neil Warnock. Last season Queens Park Rangers were unfortunate enough to come up against the Blades on four occasions, encounters that were all thoroughly unpleasant to watch. I don't expect that Saturday's fixture will be too different.

Like the Super Hoops, United crashed out of the Carling Cup after a disastrous 2-0 defeat to Hartlepool on Wednesday night. Their first league game against Cardiff, meanwhile, finished in a 1-1 draw. Therefore, Blackwell's men will be desperate to achieve their first victory of the campaign.

Men to watch

Sheffield United's main threat will be Richard Cresswell, a man who has an irritating habit of scoring against Queens Park Rangers. He netted a goal in each of the four encounters between the two sides last season and will probably be looking forward to Saturday's fixture. The 32 year-old is very experienced at this level, having enjoyed successful spells with Preston, Leeds and Stoke.

Former Manchester City striker, Ched Evans, is likely to partner Cresswell in attack. The 21 year-old joined the Blades last summer in a £3 million deal, despite repeatedly being linked with a move to Loftus Road. Although last season was a disappointing one for the Welsh international, he will be feeling confident after netting his side's goal on the opening day of the season against Cardiff City.

On the wing, Jamie Ward is likely to be selected in the starting line-up. The 24 year-old could cause problems for QPR's defence with his pace and skill on the ball. He signed for United in 2009, after having played for Stockport, Torquay and Chesterfield. I hope that Warnock has identified this threat.

In the middle of the park, Blackwell will be relying upon Nick Montgomery to cancel out the threat posed by Adel Taarabt. The experienced holding midfielder has played for the Blades since 2000, making over 250 appearances and becoming a favourite with the fans in the process.

Chris Morgan is likely to retain his place in central defence. The 32 year-old opts for a highly aggressive approach, which seems to leave a lot of players seriously injured. In 2008, he almost killed Barnsley striker, Iain Hume, elbowing him in the back of the head and putting him in the high-dependency unit of a Manchester hospital with internal bleeding. Fortunately, Hume went on to make a full recovery. Let's hope that he doesn't target one of the Rs' star players - this is where the likes of Shaun Derry need to step in.

Previous Match

March 2010 - Queens Park Rangers held Sheffield United in what was a lively encounter at Bramall Lane. Cresswell netted his fourth goal against the Rs of the campaign, heading in Mark Yeates' cross just before half time. Marcel Seip was responsible for the away side's equaliser, gifting possession to Adel Taraabt, allowing him to slot the ball into the back of the net. The Blades should have won the match in the final minute when Darius Henderson somehow failed to connect with a piercing cross as the goal gaped before him.

Sheffield United 1-1 Queens Park Rangers

QPR Team News

Peter Ramage is back in contention for a starting place after serving his two-match suspension. Akos Buzsaky, meanwhile, could be available depending on the speed of his recovery from a thigh injury. Martin Rowlands has returned to full training, but might not be ready to go straight into the first team. Adel Taraabt, Alejandro Faurlin, Heidar Helguson and Kaspars Gorkss are all likely to start.

Prediction

The two strikers that Neil Warnock has spoken about still haven't materialised. The fact is that supporters are growing increasingly annoyed at what appears to be a reluctance to spend money on a quality goalscorer. In my view, until the Rs address this issue, they cannot be considered realistic play-off contenders. Of course, Rangers do have a player capable of unlocking any defence: Adel Taraabt. He will need to produce a performance in the same calibre as the one against Barnsley last week.

Despite the heavy defeat in mid-week, I do feel that QPR can pick up a point here. Both Warnock and Paddy Kenny will be returning to their former club and I am sure they will be desperate to come out on top. Providing that the Rs can demonstrate more passion and concentration than they did on Tuesday night, I think the match will end in a 1-1 draw.

Godfather's Prediction: Sheffield United 1-1 Queens Park Rangers