Saturday 11th September 2010
Npower Football League Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00
Referee: M P Russell
Queens Park Rangers (1st) V Middlesbrough (16th)
By The Godfather

Queens Park Rangers will be hoping to continue their excellent start to the campaign when they come up against promotion favourites, Middlesbrough, at Loftus Road on Saturday. Having spent so much money on players from the Scottish Premier League, Gordon Strachan has a very strong squad at his disposal and could well provide a stern test for the Super Hoops. Of course, Rangers have made signings of their own, most recently adding Tommy Smith and Rob Hulse to their ranks. The former is likely to contend for a starting place, but the latter is unavailable through an achilles injury. It will be interesting to see how Smith fares if he is involved against the Reds.

Middlesbrough

Manager: Gordon Strachan

Season 2009-10 finish: 11th position

Keen to improve upon last season's disappointing 11th placed finish, Middlesbrough have spent over £5 million on new players, mainly from the Scottish Premier League. Strachan has brought in several big names, such as Kris Boyd from Rangers and Stephen McManus from Celtic. It is therefore not difficult to see why the club is being tipped for a return to the Premiership.

It is perhaps understandable that Middlesbrough have not started the campaign particularly well. With so many new players, supporters must accept that it is going to take some time for the team to gel. I remember last year's big spenders, Nottingham Forest, struggling at the beginning of the season and yet they went on to reach the play-offs. Patience is absolutely key.

Of course, football supporters are often very impatient and Strachan will be viewing this fixture as important following two defeats against Millwall and Barnsley. Let's hope that Boro's team doesn't 'click' on Saturday afternoon.

Men to watch

Middlesbrough's main attacking threat will be Kris Boyd, one of the transfer coups of the summer. The 27 year-old joined the club from Rangers for free, despite having earned the record of highest goalscorer in the history of the SPL. He netted a total of 101 goals in 143 appearances for the Glasgow side, as well as scoring 7 times in 17 starts for the Scottish national team. The striker will certainly pose a threat on Saturday afternoon: let's hope that the likes of Gorkss produce another excellent performance.

Scott McDonald, another striker who has played in the SPL, is likely to partner Boyd in attack. The 27 year-old joined Middlesbrough last January and has since scored 7 goals in 17 appearances. He previously enjoyed a successful spell with Celtic, during which he netted 51 times in 88 appearances. His impressive performances have earned him 18 international caps for Australia, although he was omitted from the 2010 World Cup squad.

Strachan also has Leroy Lita at his disposal, a striker who tore QPR apart last season in the fixture at Loftus Road, making Fitz Hall look like a complete and utter fool. Lita is a talented player who has demonstrated his goalscoring abilities both in the Championship and Premiership. He is someone, however, who seems to have a habit of diving in the penalty area.

Another man who impressed me in the fixture last season was Gary O'Neil, a talented right-winger. The 27 year-old began his career with Portsmouth, where he enjoyed a successful eight-year spell, making 174 appearances. He moved to Middlesbrough in 2007 and has since established himself as a first team regular. O'Neil produces crosses of a very high standard and is definitely one to watch.

At the back, Strachan will be relying upon yet another former Celtic player, Stephen McManus. Between 2003 and 2010 he made 150 appearances for the Hoops, earning himself a reputation as a solid, no-nonsense centre-back. The 27 year-old could provide a stern test for the QPR frontline on Saturday afternoon.

Previous Match

February 2010 - In what would be Mick Harford's final match in charge of Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough ran out 2-0 winners at the Riverside Stadium. Six minutes before the break, Jeremie Alliadiere was fouled inside the penalty area, with Barry Robson converting the resulting spot-kick. Boro were awarded a second penalty in the 45th minute following a foul by Kaspars Gorkss, which allowed Robson to double his tally. The Rs did carve out opportunities, most notably when Mikele Leigertwood's shot hit the post in the 78th minute. However, Boro held on for an important victory.

QPR Manager, Mick Harford: "We should have had a penalty before Boro go theirs when Lee Cook was brought down and we had chances after that too. I can't argue with the penalties Boro got. I didn't see the first but the second was pretty blatant and quite stupid really. He's just pulled him back. It is things like that that are costing us, silly goals. We started well and dominated possession for long spells, especially in the second half but I think we needed to get a goal back early on after the interval. I can't fault the work-rate or commitment of the players throughout and we did well for most of the game but I am sick of saying it, we have given away silly goals. We are looking over our shoulder at relegation."

Middlesbrough 2-0 Queens Park Rangers

QPR Team News

According to the physiotherapist, Fitz Hall has an "outside chance" of making the starting line-up. Adel Taraabt, meanwhile, missed his international match with Morocco last week, but is expected to retain his place. Martin Rowlands will not be back in first-team action for another few weeks, whilst Rob Hulse is unavailable due to an achilles injury. Lee Cook remains a long-term absentee.

Prediction

I remember Middlesbrough absolutely destroying QPR last season and therefore I am a little nervous about this match. However, under Neil Warnock, the Rs are a different proposition and will be far more difficult to beat. Both squads look strong and I am sure that this will prove to be a lively encounter with scoring opportunities at both ends. I predict a 2-2 draw.

Queens Park Rangers 2-2 Middlesbrough