Filed under: Fulham, QPR, Premier League, Football, Match Previews
PREMIER LEAGUE, CRAVEN COTTAGE, SUNDAY OCTOBER 2. KICK-OFF: 1500 BSTWhile the focus of the nation may be on the capital tussle north of the Thames on Sunday afternoon, try telling residents of Hammersmith and Fulham that this particular London derby has little significance.
It is the first derby between QPR and Fulham to take place in the top flight and the first in any league in over ten years.
And there is more than bragging rights for the supporters at stake. Fulham are in desperate need of their first league win this season, but have been buoyed by their win against Odense on Thursday night.
QPR, meanwhile, are keen to build on the momentum they built following their away win against Wolves. Momentum which was checked by the home draw against Aston Villa, where they fell behind to a soft penalty.
Both sides have new players who have yet to gel; Fulham are patiently waiting on Bryan Ruiz to adjust to the top flight, while Rangers manager Neil Warnock's midfield is still getting to know one another.
Key match-up: Jon-Arne Riise v Shaun Wright-Phillips. Riise is one of the best fullbacks in the business, while Wright-Phillips, according to his manager, has something to prove in order to get back in the reckoning for England.
Form guide: Fulham may be clocking up the air miles in the Europa League but it is in that competition where they have registered wins. QPR have been better away from home than at Loftus Road.
Odds: Fulham evens, QPR 3/1, draw 23/10
FULHAM:
Manager Martin Jol is unconcerned by the lack of wins, claiming he has the balance right to move up the table sooner rather than later.
Jol said: "If we win on Sunday it will be a great feeling, but I think our position will be fine in the league.
"It is not a matter of defeats, it is that we have had too many draws. And it is not that we have conceded a load of goals, we just need to score more. We want to climb the table and we have the team to do well."
Of more concern to Jol is Adel Taarabt, who he knows from his time at Tottenham. Back then, the Moroccan playmaker was a 17-year-old with an ego.
Jol admits he has improved out of sight and said: "He was 17 years of age when he was at Spurs and when he had the ball everyone watched. It is like Bill Nicholson said, it was as if the players needed to buy tickets to watch him play.
"But he has improved. He plays the ball when necessary and keeps the ball when he has to. He is one of the best No10s in the game. When he gets the ball he is QPR's biggest threat."
Strategy: Expect Bobby Zamora to be leading the line after being laid low for a while through illness. The England striker remains his side's best bet for a goal and the Fulham medical staff have been busy behind the scenes with Sunday in mind, having left him at home for the Europa League trip.
Injury update: Aaron Hughes is back in full training and could feature on the bench. Simon Davies could return in November. Mousa Dembele and Zamora have overcome their illnesses.
QPR:
Wright-Phillips could have become a Fulham player in January when Mark Hughes, his former boss at Manchester City, was in charge at Craven Cottage.
A failure to agree on how big a chunk of his £80,000-a-week wages eventually scuppered that deal and it was not until August that the England winger moved back to London to join the Hoops.
And when he did he hardly gave the Fulham near miss a further thought. "I didn't think about it," he told the Ealing Gazette. "When I got the chance to come to QPR - I took it and that's what I wanted to do. The rest is all so much history and nothing more to worry about."
Wright-Phillips has made a huge impact since leaving Eastlands, despite not being as sharp as he would like.
He added: "My physical fitness is fine, but people say it takes five to six games to get match fit. I'm hoping I get there quicker than that now that I've got to half that total."
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