Author

James Crawley writes

Posted Friday, January 26th 2018 @CrawleyJames92

Big Match Preview: QPR home

Friday, January 26th 2018

Bristol City host Ian Holloway's Queens Park Rangers following their Carabao Cup exit.

The Robins stopped their losing streak with a 0-0 draw away to Pride Park last Friday and continue to search for their first win of 2018.

QPR have only won twice on the road this season, with both sides looking to steal all the points this time around, following the 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture five weeks earlier.

Here's a closer look at City's next opponents.

FACTFILE

Formed:1886
Nickname: Hoops, R's
Website: www.qpr.co.uk
Twitter: @QPRFC
Ground: Loftus Road Stadium
Capacity: 18,439

Honours:
Second Division winners (Championship) – 1982/83, 2010/11. Play-off winners - 2013/14
Third Division winners (L1) – 1947/48, 1966/67
League Cup winners – 1966/67

Last season:
Championship: 18th
FA Cup: 3rd round, lost to Blackburn Rovers
EFL Cup: 3rd round, lost to Sunderland
Top scorer: Idrissa Sylla
Average attendance: 14,475

HOW DID THEY GET HERE?

The R's are now in their third-consecutive season in the Championship - a division they have won twice in their history.

It's been an up-and-down seven years for the London club, with their most recent success coming in 2011 when they lifted the trophy to secure their spot in the Premier League for the first since 1995.

A promotion and two relegations later, they were back in England's second tier.

Both sides beat each other last season but drew back in December, when Bobby Reid's penalty cancelled out Aden Flint's own goal at Loftus Road.

MEET THE GAFFER - IAN HOLLOWAY

The man synonymous with Bristol Rovers marked a year in charge of QPR in November.

He steered the R's to 18th in the Championship last season, just one place behind City.

He began and ended his playing career with Rovers, enjoying spells at Brentford, AFC Wimbledon, Torquay and QPR during the 80s and 90s.

The 54-year-old manager is now into his second spell as QPR boss.

His management career also includes Millwall, Crystal Palace, Blackpool, Plymouth and Leicester.

STAR MAN - LUKE FREEMAN

A familiar face in BS3, the former Arsenal academy player left Greater London when the opportunity for permanent first-team football arrived at Stevenage Town.

Two years after making the move a few miles north, he joined Bristol City where he went on to score 10 goals in more than 100 appearances over two-and-a-half seasons, including playing his part in the 2014/15 double-winning campaign.

Since his move to QPR in January, he has gone on to score five goals including three this season. He has also contributed to an impressive nine assists and has been singled out as one to watch at the Gate.

MEMORABLE FIXTURE - BRISTOL CITY 2-1 QPR

Saturday, October 1st 2016
City: Marlon Pack 14, Jamie Paterson 40.
QPR: Idrissa Sylla 90+6

Goals from Marlon Pack and Jamie Paterson ensured back-to-back victories for Lee Johnson's side as they continued their battle to steer away from relegation last season.

For City, it marked a third successive home victory and they were good value for their three points.City would have to wait only 14 minutes to make the breakthrough.

After a corner from the right was taken short, Matty Taylor teed up Pack to dispatch the bouncing ball with a clean strike that zipped into the bottom corner of the net for the midfielder’s first goal since September.

City had produced some good stuff and a 2-0 half-time lead was hardly undeserved. That’s exactly what they had when Taylor led a quick counter-attack, ignoring the offside Tammy Abraham in favour of the onside Paterson, who took the ball in his stride and stroked in his second goal in as many games with his left foot.

Substitute Sylla pulled one back in the fifth minute of added time.

The result would leave City three points behind QPR in the Championship table.