Queens Park Rangers

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The FA Cup third round draw was made on Monday evening, with all 24 Championship clubs entering at this stage of the competition.

Ties will take place between Thursday, 8 January and Monday, 12 January.

These are the ties involving Championship clubs:

• Cambridge United v Birmingham City

• Hull City v Blackburn Rovers

• Bristol City v Watford

• Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

• Stoke City v Coventry

• Derby County v Leeds United

• Ipswich Town v Blackpool

• Cheltenham Town v Leicester City

• Fulham v Middlesbrough

• Burnley v Millwall

• Norwich City v Walsall

• MK Dons v Oxford United

• Portsmouth v Arsenal

• Preston North End v Wigan Athletic

• West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers

• Sheffield United v Mansfield Town

• Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

• Doncaster Rovers v Southampton

• Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

You can see the full draw here.

QPR and Birmingham City will both look to gain ground on the Championship play-off places when they meet at Loftus Road on Tuesday night (20:00 GMT).

The Hoops have won three of their past four games (L1) to move up from 16th to 10th and within two points of the top six.

Blues are tied on 28 points with QPR and sit in eighth but will be looking to improve on their away record with just two wins on the road so far this season (D2 L6).

• QPR have lost just two of their past 11 home league games against Birmingham (W6 D3), going down 4-3 in February 2019 and 1-0 in March 2023.

• Birmingham have won two of their past four league games against QPR (D1 L1), as many as they had in their previous 13 (D4 L7). They were winless against the Hoops the last time they faced in 2023-24, however.

• QPR have won five of their past six league games against promoted sides (L1), winning each of the previous three by a 3-1 scoreline. They last won more consecutively against promoted clubs between February and October 2008 (5).

• QPR have lost just one of their past five midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Championship games (W3 D1), though it was in their most recent such home game against Southampton last month.

• Birmingham have lost just one of their past 20 midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) league games (W15 D4), going down 3-1 at Bolton in March.

QPR head coach Julien Stephan praised his team for putting together "a good run" after they beat West Bromwich Albion at Loftus Road.

"I don't know if it's a fantastic performance but it's a fantastic result for us," Stephan told BBC Radio London.

"In the first half it was a tight game, with not a lot of situations offensively, but we had a very good move just before the end, a great delivery from Nicolas Madsen and a great finish by Jonathan.

"That changed the game because in the second half we had more space and started well with a good second goal and a great situation to score the third one as well. They scored for 2-1 but I know the mindset of these players, they want to continue to attack and they scored the third.

"Credit to the players because I wanted them to confirm the last win at home against Hull, so that's two home wins and a third win in the last four games, so it's a good run."

Table neighbours Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion will both try to pull ahead of the other when they meet at Loftus Road on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The two sides both have 25 points to their name, with QPR sitting just beneath their visitors on goal difference in 13th place.

But it's not just points they will be playing for.

The Hoops will be looking to consolidate their last home win after overcoming a three-match losing streak at the Loft against Hull, while the Baggies won their last game against Swansea and will be seeking their first back-to-back wins since the start of the season.

• QPR are winless in their last six league games against West Brom (D2 L4) since a 1-0 home win in January 2022.

• West Brom have won 11 of their 25 away league games against QPR (D4 L10), their highest away win rate of any side they've faced 20+ times on the road (44%).

• Having won four of their first five Championship home games in 2025 (L1), QPR have now won just three of their last 14 at Loftus Road (D5 L6).

• West Brom have lost each of their last five away league games, last losing more consecutively between December and February in the 2021-22 campaign (6).

• Last time out against Swansea, West Brom conceded the second earliest Championship goal on record (since 2013-14) – 11 seconds. However, they eventually came back to win from two goals behind for the first time since January 2023 against Luton.

Queens Park Rangers boss Julien Stephan says it is "important" to build on their home win against Hull City when they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Hoops claimed a 3-2 victory over the Tigers in their most recent game at Matrade Loftus Road for their only win in five league matches on home soil (D1 L3).

"It's a good opponent and it will be a tough game but we are at home," Stephan told BBC Radio London.

"We need to confirm how we played against Hull because between October and November, we lost three games in a row at home.

"We don't want to be happy to just win one game, we know we will face some good teams so 90% is not enough. We need to be at 100%, 100% of the time."

Listen to the full interview with Stephan and more QPR content on BBC Sounds.

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QPR defender Tylon Smith has been called into South Africa's senior squad for the first time for the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts later this month.

The 20-year-old, who joined the Londoners in July, is part of head coach Hugo Broos' 25-man squad for the tournament, which is being held in Morocco.

Smith won the U20 Afcon title with South Africa earlier this year and was also recently named one of Africa's top three young players of the year.

He has made one appearance for QPR so far this season, playing the full 90 minutes in their Carabao Cup first round defeat by Plymouth in August.

South Africa start their Afcon campaign against Angola in Marrakesh on 22 December before going on to face Egypt and Zimbabwe in the group stage.

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Development squad head coach Paul Furlong has left Queens Park Rangers after 14 years with the club.

The 57-year-old former striker made 183 appearances and scored 58 goals as a player for the R's.

He returned to the club as a coach in 2011 and saw his son Darnell Furlong come through the youth system to make his first-team debut in 2015.

"I have had an amazing 14 years at this football club as a coach after what was a very special period as a QPR player," he told the club's website., external

"Everyone who knows me knows what this club means to me and how proud I have been to represent it.

"There have been so many special memories to enjoy and savour. From a coaching perspective, being lucky enough to work with my own son meant so much. Watching Darnell come through the system to play for the first team ranks right up there.

"What has given me a lot of joy has been seeing others follow that path too. It is difficult to describe the sense of pride you have when a young boy you have coached walks out at Loftus Road to make his first-team debut."

Furlong represented the likes of Coventry City, Watford, Chelsea and Birmingham City over a 20-year playing career.

Norwich City claimed their first point at home on Tuesday and will now look for their first win as they welcome Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Canaries were close to taking all three points at Carrow Road last time out but were thwarted by an added time winner from Oxford United.

Though taking on the Hoops may be a tougher task, with the visitors on a two match winning streak and eyeing up the competition for the top six.

• Norwich City have lost just one of their last 10 league games against QPR (W4 D5), a 3-0 away loss in December 2024.

• QPR are winless in their last 10 away league games against Norwich (D4 L6) since a 1-0 victory in September 2008.

• Norwich are winless in their last 13 league games (D4 L9); they last failed to win 14 in a row in April 1998 in the second tier.

• QPR have won five of their last 10 Championship games on a Saturday (D2 L3), one more than in their previous 31 such games (D13 L14).

• Four of Norwich's last eight goals in the Championship have been scored by Jovon Makama, netting last time out against Oxford United to help them secure their first home point of 2025-26.

QPR head coach Julien Stephan praised the clinical nature showed by Ilias Chair and Paul Smyth for the winner at Blackburn as his side climbed into the top half of the Championship.

"It was a strange game, to be honest," he told BBC Radio London. "We started well and had some good approach in the first half, but we didn't take good decisions.

"At half-time we said the most important is to be focused and clinical in the second half. It was the case with a very good ball from Ilias Chair and a nice finish from Smythy.

"I don't forget at 0-0 that Paul [Nardi] made a great save which was a very important moment for us. I want to congratulate Paul because I took a difficult decision for him two games ago - I wanted to change the goalkeeper. He is a great person, a very good goalkeeper and he showed his qualities.

"Just enjoy the moment and be focused on the next game because it will arrive quickly. We have Norwich away and then three games the week after."

Blackburn have won four of their past five Championship matches heading into their meeting with QPR on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

But Rovers have lost out of three at home and come up against a QPR side beaten just once in their previous six road trips.

• None of the past 15 league meetings between Blackburn and QPR have been drawn, with Rovers winning 10 of those (L5).

• QPR have lost seven of their past eight away league games against Blackburn, with the exception being a 2-1 win in February 2024.

• Only Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich have lost more home league games than Blackburn (5) in the Championship this season, with Rovers' only home win coming against Southampton last month.

• Having conceded nine goals in their first two away league games this season, QPR have conceded just four in their subsequent six on the road.

• Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael has won five of his six league games against QPR (L1), including all three at home by an aggregate score of 9-1.

Image source, Rex Features

Queen's Park Rangers head coach Julien Stephan hailed his side's "mental reaction" following their comeback 3-2 victory over Hull City.

The Tigers led at Loftus Road on two separate occasions through Joe Gelhardt and Enis Destan but equalisers from Ilias Chair, Jimmy Dunne and then a 66th minute winner from Rumarn Burrell ended the Rangers four match winless streak.

"Of course the win is very important but for me the performance is also very important because it means a lot to win a game like this with that level of play," said Stephan to BBC Radio London.

"I think offensively it was our best performance since the start of the season. Very good movement, a great number of opportunities — 26 shots, 3.5 xG, so it's a lot without a penalty and credit to the players; they deserve this win.

"Another reason I enjoyed this game was the mental reaction after we conceded the first and second goals, because they shot only once in the first half and scored.

"But we stayed focused, the players stuck to the plan, and continued to play how we wanted."

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

Image source, Rex Features

Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

Queens Park Rangers will look to end a four-match winless drought when they host Hull City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Hoops are currently six points off the pace of the top six, while the Tigers lie snugly within in fifth.

However, with so much competition lying in wait, Hull will likely need a win to remain in their play-off spot.

• QPR won their last league game against Hull but they haven't registered consecutive wins against the Tigers since February 1970.

• Hull City have won five of their last nine league visits to Queens Park Rangers (D1 L3), including a 3-1 victory last season under Tim Walter.

• Queens Park Rangers have lost their last three home Championship matches, last losing four in a row in November/December 2022. The last Hoops manager to lose four home league games in a row was Chris Ramsey between February and April 2015 (five in a row).

• Hull are one of three teams yet to score a Championship goal from outside the box this season, along with Middlesbrough and Sheffield United. They've had 54 attempts from outside the box without scoring in 2025-26.

• Hull have conceded the most goals when they've been winning in Championship games this season (10) and they've faced 108 shots when leading – 14 more than other side. It's 64 more shots than they've had (44) when winning, also the worst differential.

Boss Julien Stephan is focused on set-pieces as he tries to halt QPR's slide down the Championship table.

Ahead of Saturday's visit of Hull City (15:00 GMT) QPR are winless in their past four games in the Championship, taking a single point, scoring just two goals, and have slipped to 16th, having been sixth in early October.

Stephan told BBC Radio London it had been "important to refresh mentally and physically" during the international break but he had also been delving into the reasons for the R's downturn in fortunes.

"It was important for us to analyse why we didn't have the best results and what we have to do to react," he said.

"I am confident we are able to improve. It's important to stay honest with the players.

"The last run was not a good run but it's important to stay focused on what we need to do to have a good run in the next weeks and months.

"It's not that we did everything wrong, some things we did well, sometimes we were just unlucky, but a very important part in the Championship is to develop our ability to create something from set pieces.

"We have scored only one time from set pieces since the start of the season (in the 7-1 defeat at Coventry), we know we have to increase and develop our danger from set pieces.

"Offensively and defensively we have spent time on it - we know it's very important."

You can listen to this and find more QPR content on BBC Sounds.

Queens Park Rangers captain Jimmy Dunne says that his side are still "looking up" despite their poor form before the November international break.

QPR are winless in their last four games in the Championship but Dunne insists confidence has not been hit by results because teams are so close in the division.

Six points separate 16th-placed QPR and Hull, who sit in the play-off places in fifth, a gap which theoretically could be closed by next week if results go their way.

"It feels a little more open for anyone to go for it," he said.

"Momentum seems to be playing a massive part in teams. We had a spell there where we were unbeaten in however many, seven or something, Derby are flying at the minute but it can easily change for everyone.

"What everyone is looking for is that momentum at the right time to try and get into that top six but at the minute it seems like it's there for anyone."

The defender was part of the Republic of Ireland squad that reached for the World Cup qualifying play-offs in dramatic fashion on Sunday by beating Hungary 3-2 in Budapest.

He expects the Championship will begin to take shape from next month.

"It's usually pretty tight until after November," Dunne added.

"I think in December you start to see it categorise off a little bit and teams get into little battles in different parts of the table but at the minute its anyone's game and we had a disappointing couple of weeks before the international break but it's not knocked any belief out of us.

"We're looking up, we can still see an opportunity."

You can listen to more QPR content on BBC Sounds.

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QPR striker Richard Kone marked another milestone in his career by making his senior debut for Ivory Coast in their friendly against Oman.

The 22-year-old was introduced as a 62nd minute substitute in the Ivorians' 2-0 win in Seeb.

Kone was playing for Athletic Newham in the Essex Senior League, the ninth tier of English football, at the end of 2023 before moving to Wycombe and then joining QPR in August this year.

He represented the Ivory Coast at the Homeless World Cup in 2019 and is in line to be included in Emerse Fae's squad for next year's World Cup finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico.