Leeds United v Queens Park Rangers: Team expected to make changes as they look to get back on track after a disappointing start to the season.
Queens Park Rangers are one of the lowest-ranked teams in the Championship, and they will welcome Leeds to Elland Road this Wednesday.
After what Daniel Farke described as his team’s “season-best performance” against Watford on Saturday, he went again with an unchanged team at Southampton, losing 1-0. Leeds were down 3-0 at the break, and although they won 1-0 in the second half, their six-game winning streak was over as well.
Gareth Ainsworth’s QPR are in 22nd place in the league and have lost four games in a row. They have won seven of their last eight games, though, and have won both of their Championship games so far this season (2023/24).
“Ainsworth’s Rangers are no longer playing the ‘free-flowing’ football of his predecessors,” Ian McCullough wrote in West London Sport. “They are playing a much more pragmatic, possession-oriented style.”
Ainsworth has won just one of his last 12 games at home and has lost nine of his last 11, with just one win in nearly a year, says McCullough.
“Ainsworth’s two recent home wins over Middlesbrough (1-0) and Cardiff (2-0) were well-deserved, but the sort of ball-playing, possession-minded style that flourished under Warburton under Beale and Ilias Chair under Chris Willock is gone.”
Under Ainsworth, the team has the lowest possession figures in the Championship. Young striker Sinclair Armstrong has been used to chase balls upfield and use his speed and strength to beat his opponents to the ball.
However, this has its limits against older centre-backs, and in his defence he has been restricted by FFP this season and has been able to only sign free transfers.
Despite his side’s 3-1 loss at Coventry on Saturday, which sees them drop into the bottom three, Farke is now under pressure to get his team back on track. A trip down Elland Road to face a Rangers side who have won just once in the last 28 years would be the last thing Farke needs.
Leeds will be likely to make changes to their starting XI, with Joe Rodon’s suspension and Saturday’s benching likely to see him return to the side. Jaidon Antony is still pushing for a first-team spot, while the midfield could also benefit from a change after their poor first-half performance at St Mary’s.
