The Ipswich Game

[LoftusRoadLad]

QPR will check on defender Joel Lynch ahead of the Boxing Day clash against Sky Bet Championship bottom club Ipswich.

Lynch missed the 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Saturday with a dead leg, so will be assessed. Jordan Cousins could again start at right-back, while fit-again centre-half Grant Hall made a late substitute appearance, along with forward Matt Smith.

Centre-back Alex Baptiste is stepping up his match fitness, while defenders Geoff Cameron (ankle) and Angel Rangel (thigh) also continue their rehabilitation, as does on-loan Brighton forward Tomer Hemed (groin).

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Opta stats

Queens Park Rangers have won five successive home games in all competitions against Ipswich Town - their best-ever home run against the Suffolk side.

The last time that QPR beat Ipswich Town both home and away in a single league season was in 2013-14, a season that the London club ended up winning promotion to the Premier League through the playoffs.

Ipswich Town have failed to score a goal in six of their last 11 matches against QPR in all competitions, netting just eight goals overall in this period.


QPR last won a league game on Boxing Day in 2010, since losing four games (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) and drawing the last (2017).

QPR manager Steve McClaren has won each of his last three Championship matches against Ipswich, including a 2-0 win in this season's reverse fixture when the Tractor Boys were managed by Paul Hurst.

Ipswich have lost 12 of their last 16 away Championship games (W2 D2), losing both of their last two against Nottingham Forest and Stoke City.
Prutton's prediction

QPR well and truly have their groove back after two wins on the spin, and will be full of confidence as Ipswich come to Loftus Road on Boxing Day.

A couple of decent results make it seem as though Paul Lambert may be starting to turn things around, but they are still adrift at the bottom and I can't see that changing here. Home win.

David Prutton predicts: 2-1 (15/2 with Sky Bet)

[LoftusRoadLad]

QPR vs Ipswich : Championship clash live on Sky Sports red button

[QPRDave]

This game is like the Hull game. After the last two wins, this & Reading is the potential banana skin. We must be respectful, but
play our normal game and concentrate

[LoftusRoadLad]

The teams above and below us.

Brum v Stoke both on 34 points... hope its a draw.

Forest have 35 points but are away to Norwich.

Villa on 33 points have the Swans who are on 32. Hope thats a draw too.

We have 34. A win will give us a welcome nose bleed from 7th !!

[Steve_Mac_Fan]

If Lynch is fit then it’s a massive decision to make. Furlong and Cousins were fantastic at Forest but we can’t forget they are playing out of their natural positions. If Lynch does come back in it would probably mean moving Furlong to right back and Cousins back into midfield or dropping him and retaining Scowen. No player deserves to lose their place but it’s inportant to have players playing in natural positions as often as you can. I don’t think Lynch will play because we know Lunogo if off with Australia after Ipswich creating a gap in CM for Cousins and Scowen and makes it easier for Steve to do the move for the Reading game if bringing Lynch back but I just wondered if Lynch is fit do you play him and who misses out?

[Ginger Ninja]

We cannot take this game lightly, players or fans. Hull and Rotherham should've been wins too and we got a point out of 6. It should be a win, but we can't go thinking we will roll them over easily.

[LoftusRoadLad]

“Don’t waste it, that’s what I’ve said to the players,” McClaren told www.qpr.co.uk ahead of tomorrows match in W12.

“We have to get our feet back on the ground, we celebrated the Forest win and then we got back to work to make sure we don’t waste the last two results we’ve had.

“Ipswich won’t be an easy game. Paul Lambert is a good manager who has steadied the ship and made them harder to beat. They’ve had some good results and we have to be careful and maintain the same attitude that has got us results.”

It’s a similar scenario to that earlier this month when QPR lost to Hull City on home soil.

That followed a derby win versus Brentford, before two good comebacks Stoke City and Rotherham United and it’s a situation the Hoops manager is keen for his side to learn from that.

“We were disappointing against Hull and that needs to be a lesson to us,” he said.

“There was an opportunity there that we needed to take and we didn't. We’d had two good results prior and we didn’t take the one at home. I will be stressing that to the players.

“These back-to-back games are a real opportunity for us and I’ll be making the players aware of that.

“We’ve got to get the crowd behind us, they were magnificent at Forest and last week against Boro and we need that on Boxing Day for what will be a tough game.”

[Shania]

I very much doubt we will win this one, but I surely hope so.

[bakes8]

Ipswich are pony and the points there to be taken. Start fast and put them to the sword. 3 points please.

[acricketer]

More likely to win than lose. This team has too much for the tractor boys

[Undecided]

Just a small change in mind set from we can win this to we WILLwin it.

[Fghoop]

Looking forward to today - Just hope the result tops the whole experience - My boy has been selected as the Official Junior hoops Mascot.

[LoftusRoadLad]

Looking forward to today - Just hope the result tops the whole experience - My boy has been selected as the Official Junior hoops Mascot.

Enjoy hopefully with a win

[Fraggy]

Looking forward to today - Just hope the result tops the whole experience - My boy has been selected as the Official Junior hoops Mascot.

A day I am sure he will never forgot.
You must be very proud.