A busy February continues tomorrow for Bolton with this season`s fourth and final trip to London, to face Queen`s Park Rangers. Wanderers disappointed midweek but it was against a high-flying Cardiff side. This is a different proposition, QPR are in the bottom half and with Sunderland to come on Tuesday, six points in the space of a few days could be huge for our season.
Vital Quotes:
“When you go away from home you have to have a different mentality and be willing to work that little bit more for a result, sometimes. We need to go to QPR and be ready to stand strong as a team.”
Phil Parkinson in the Bolton News acknowledging our travel sickness.
Queen’s Park Rangers Team News:
I`ll update QPR team news when someone else definitively reports it.
Player to watch: Luke Freeman
QPR`s own website has described him as one of the best technical players that will be on the pitch tomorrow, so that`s good enough for me. The midfielder has had very good season, scoring three goals and assisting nine times.
Bolton Wanderers Team News:
The big news for Wanderers is that after a leg fracture as recent as New Year`s Day, Darren Pratley is back in contention to play, as could Jem Karacan. Aaron Wilbraham is still injured, but we could see again a change up front as Phil Parkinson looks for the best candidate to partner Sammy Ameobi.
Player to watch: Karl Henry
It`s a return to QPR for Henry for the first time since leaving the club last summer. He has already faced them since, having played for us in the fixture at the Macron in October.
Match Facts & Stats
These teams met in October, Darren Pratley gave us the lead in rancid weather at the Macron before Idrissa Sylla scored late in the game.
Our last visit to Loftus Road was in October 2015. In a topsy-turvy game, Gary Madine and Liam Feeney had us 2-0 up in 11 minutes, while Wellington Silva scored an 85th minute equaliser. Despite all this, Jay-Emmanuel Thomas still managed to score an injury time winner and we lost 4-3. We should have known then we weren`t going to win away.
Our last win at Loftus Road was in 2011, when Ivan Klasnic, Fabrice Muamba and Gary Cahill all scored, as well as Danny Gabbidon putting it in his own net. We won 4-0 but were still relegated. Who pipped us to safety? QPR.
QPR have won two of their last five matches, beating our fellow relegation candidates Barnsley and Burton. Last week they lost 2-1 at Wolves.
Match Prediction:
QPR don`t seem to be playing too badly, beating the sides they expect to beat, and after a slow start, giving Wolves something to think about last week. It`s a game we should be targeting away from home, but I can still see us getting beat. 2-1 to them.
Next Fixtures:
Tuesday sees a huge game at the Macron as Sunderland visit, before a trip to Norwich next weekend.