Tuesday 1st February 2011
Npower Football League Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Kick-off: 20:00
Referee: G K Hegley
Queens Park Rangers (1st) V Portsmouth (18th)
By The Godfather

Hull City held Queens Park Rangers to a goalless draw on Saturday afternoon in what has been described as one of the dullest matches of the season so far. The only interesting aspect of the game was Adel Taraabt’s first half tantrum, during which he asked to be substituted. Fortunately, Warnock managed to calm the Moroccan and he carried on, but he was never quite able to make an impact upon proceedings. Although his conduct was disgraceful on this occasion, I think we all know that Taraabt is capable of this kind of behaviour. Warnock has done well to control him so far: I am confident that this will continue.

On Tuesday night, Queens Park Rangers face last year’s FA Cup finalists, Portsmouth, at Loftus Road. With Cardiff and Norwich both playing at home against Reading and Millwall respectively, it is absolutely crucial that the Rs pick up three points.

Portsmouth

Manager: Steve Cotterill

Season 2009-10 finish: 20th position (Premiership).

Last season was a disastrous one for Portsmouth. I’m sure you all know about the club’s financial problems, which left them in administration and with a massive points deduction. Relegation from the Premiership was inevitable and, despite reaching the FA Cup final, the 2009/10 campaign was certainly one of misery for Pompey supporters.

Under new boss, Steve Cotterill, the team did not start this season very well either, sinking to the bottom of the league table following a series of disappointing results. In fact, only a month or so into the season, various news outlets reported that Pompey were likely to go into liquidation, since one of the club’s investors was unwilling to cooperate with attempts to stabilise Pompey’s finances. Fortunately, a deal was eventually agreed.

Portsmouth are now looking a little more stable, but results this season have generally been disappointing. Despite boasting a number of quality players, Pompey have not been able to put together a decent run of form. They haven’t won since 11th December and come into this match on the back of a defeat to Burnley.

Men to watch

1. Up front, Portsmouth have the talented Dave Kitson, a striker who is proven at Championship level. He enjoyed a lot of success during his spell at Reading, playing a vital role in the club’s promotion to the Premiership under Steve Coppell. He has netted four goals this season. The 30 year-old will no doubt pose an aerial threat on Tuesday night.

2. David Nugent will also provide a stern test for the QPR back four. The 25 year-old is perhaps best known for his spell with Preston North End, during which he netted 33 times in 94 appearances, earning a reputation as a prolific goalscorer. He joined Pompey in 2007, but struggled to make an impact at Premiership level, spending time at Burnley on loan. In the Championship, Nugent is a proven striker and his performances at North End were rewarded with a call-up to the England squad. This season, he is the club’s joint top scorer with eight goals to his name.

3. In addition, expect to see highly rated midfielder, Liam Lawrence, start for Pompey. The 28 year-old signed for Portsmouth after falling out of favour at Stoke City. The Irish international must be marked properly on Tuesday night: his ability to produce pinpoint crosses will no doubt threaten the QPR defence. He has scored eight goals so far this season, which makes him Portsmouth’s joint top scorer.

4. Central defensive midfielder, Aaron Mokoena, could also be involved on Tuesday night. The 29 year-old captained South Africa during the World Cup and thus has experience at the very highest level. The former Ajax and Blackburn man will certainly provide a stern test for the likes of Shaun Derry in the middle of the park.

Referee

Grant Hegley will referee Tuesday night’s encounter. His last match in charge at Loftus Road was the 1-0 defeat to Scunthorpe in January 2010. My main criticism in my report was that he had failed to send off Grant McCann for a horrendous sliding challenge on Alejandro Faurlin, allowing the Scunny midfielder to escape with a yellow card.

Before that, he took charge of QPR’s 2-1 win over Bristol City in the 2008/09 campaign. In my report I stated that “he began to become noticeable (in the first half) due to a series of bizarre decisions”. Adel Taraabt was booked in the first half for diving and yet, when a City player did exactly the same thing five minutes later, he took no action.

Previous Match

November 2010 - QPR preserved their unbeaten record thanks to Tommy Smith’s late penalty. Rangers were reduced to ten men early in the second half when Matthew Connolly committed a professional foul against Dave Kitson, giving away a penalty in the process, which Lawrence converted. It seemed that the Rs would suffer their first defeat of the campaign, until Lawrence was adjudged to have handled the ball inside his penalty area, also being sent off. Smith slotted the resulting spot-kick into the bottom corner.

Portsmouth 1-1 Queens Park Rangers

QPR Team News

Alejandro Faurlin and Tommy Smith could both miss this fixture after sustaining injuries against Hull City. Faurlin was involved in a collision with a Tigers player, whilst Smith had to be brought off due to a hamstring problem. Meanwhile, Akos Buzsaky is back in full training, but Peter Ramage and Jamie Mackie remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

Although Portsmouth's league position is unremarkable to say the least, there is no doubt that they possess some excellent Championship-quality players. A striking partnership of Kitson and Nugent, if selected, will certainly cause the QPR defence some problems. In addition, the Rs could be missing a couple of key players. On the other hand, Pompey are without a win since early December and team morale could be low. I'm going to predict a narrow home win.

Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Portsmouth