Sunday 13th February 2011
Npower Football League Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Referee: M Clattenburg
Kick-off: 13:15
Queens Park Rangers (1st) V Nottingham Forest (5th)
By The Godfather

Queens Park Rangers face a difficult match against automatic promotion rivals, Nottingham Forest, on Sunday afternoon in front of the Sky cameras. Although they are seven points behind QPR, the Reds have played two games fewer than the Rs and could therefore really open up the title race with a victory. Both teams favour an attacking style of football and I am sure that this will be an entertaining, albeit tense, encounter.

Nottingham Forest

Manager: Billy Davies

Season 2009-10 finish: 3rd position

Like they did last season, Nottingham Forest did not start the 2010/11 campaign particularly well. In fact, they had to wait until 14th September for their first victory, a 2-1 win over Preston North End. In addition, there seemed to be a bad atmosphere within the club, with manager, Billy Davies, complaining about a lack of transfer funds. It seemed that the Reds would struggle to even make the play-off places.

Since then, things have dramatically improved on the pitch. Nottingham Forest come into this fixture on the back of six straight victories, a superb run of form which has firmly established Davies’ men as promotion contenders. However, as “sirpiechucker” pointed out in his recent post on the WATRB message board, most of the teams which the Reds have beaten are struggling in the league. Sunday’s game presents a far tougher challenge. Of course, this does not mean that they should be underestimated...

Men to watch

Nottingham Forest have several attacking options. Robert Earnshaw, a striker who has been very successful in this division for many years, could retain his position. The 29 year-old scored 86 goals in 183 appearances for Cardiff in a seven-year spell, before enjoying successful periods with West Brom and Norwich. He signed for Forest in 2008 and has since netted 30 times in 72 starts. A Welsh international forward, Earnshaw could pose a threat on Sunday afternoon.

In midfield, Davies has the in-form Lewis McGugan available, who has scored several sensational long-range strikes so far this season. At the age of only 22, he has already made over 100 starts for the Reds. He is clearly a very talented individual, who must be marked closely by Warnock’s men.

Alongside McGugan, Chris Cohen is likely to keep his starting position. The 23 year-old made a crucial contribution to the promotion challenge last season, providing the team with creativity and stability in the middle of the park. Cohen lists Yeovil Town and West Ham United as his former clubs.

In goal, former QPR fans’ favourite, Lee Camp, will probably retain the goalkeeping place. The 26 year-old is no doubt a superb shot-stopper, but I always felt that he was a little vulnerable when dealing with high balls into the penalty area. Perhaps Warnock’s men can exploit this weakness on Sunday afternoon.

Previous Match

November 2010 – Queens Park Rangers preserved their unbeaten record, but slipped into second position following a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest. Lewis McGugan carved out the home team’s best opportunity, forcing an excellent save from Paddy Kenny with a powerful strike. Tommy Smith perhaps should have been awarded a penalty when he was brought down inside the penalty area. After the break, Adel Taraabt’s chip was tipped over by Lee Camp.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Queens Park Rangers

QPR Team News

Tommy Smith could return to the starting line-up depending upon the results of a late fitness test. Heidar Helguson could be available, but Hogan Ephraim is suspended following his red card at the Madejski Stadium. Peter Ramage and Jamie Mackie remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

I am nervous about this fixture. With all our promotion rivals having won on Saturday afternoon, both teams will see this as a must-win match. The likes of Earnshaw and McGugan are bound to cause problems, but providing that the back four maintain their level of performance, they should be able to deal with the threat. I am not sure that Forest are quite so resilient defensively and therefore I am going to predict a narrow victory for Warnock's men. But it will certainly be a difficult game.

Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Nottingham Forest