Lincoln City face their final match before the November international break, travelling to the capital once again to meet Queens Park Rangers.
The Imps will be keen to avoid a third straight defeat after disappointing results against Birmingham City and Watford within the last week.
Queens Park Rangers Form
QPR had gone under the radar during the early stages of the campaign, at least until they romped to a 5-0 victory over a Swansea City side who began matchday 12 top of the Championship table. Draws had hindered their early season progress despite a strong opening month, recording league victories at Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers.
After getting up and running at MATRADE Loftus Road against Cardiff City at the start of September, they slipped to defeat against current league leaders Middlesbrough. Then came the run of four consecutive stalemates which threatened to hinder a good start to the campaign and leave the Hoops in midtable, rather than in and around the play-off positions.
After a goalless draw against London rivals Charlton Athletic, the R’s and West Bromwich Albion traded goals before the interval. Preston North End threatened a shock result in West London when they went two nil up with less than half an hour on the clock. However, QPR, who had seen Dennis Cirkin dismissed after a quarter of an hour, battled back in the second half through Kwame Poku and a deliciously dramatic Paul Smyth equaliser.
It appeared as if Rangers may be on the wrong side of a late goal at the London Stadium in another London derby, this time against West Ham United. Nicolas Madsen converted a controversial penalty for the visitors that was eventually cancelled out by a fine Jarrod Bowen strike. And in stoppage time, the Hammers had the chance to secure victory with a spot-kick of their own, only for Pierce Charles to sensationally deny Bowen from being the matchwinner.
QPR built on that victory by putting four past a sorry Derby County side, with former Lincoln loanee Alfie Lloyd opening the scoring. A rare off day in the West Midlands against Birmingham City was put right seven days later against the Swans. Richard Kone scored a hat-trick inside the first 15 minutes before Jimmy Dunne hit a brace to sensationally condemn the South Wales outfit to defeat.
Their form has turned hot and cold in recent matches, failing to build on that success against Swansea at Southampton last Saturday. Southampton easily dispatched the Hoops 4-1, and there was no immediate response in midweek against Burnley. Fabio Celestini was on course for his first three points as Clarets boss until Jonathan Varane equalised in the second half. Former Imp Justin Obikwu missed the chance to be the matchwinner late in the day, leaving QPR 11th in the Championship table.
Queens Park Rangers Team News
QPR’s superb result against Swansea was made all the more impressive by the fact they were without four key players. As revealed last month, Rumarn Burrell, Madsen and Tariq Lamptey have been sidelined until after the November international break. Madsen’s diagnosis came following the Hoops’ meeting against Birmingham, when he struggled during the warm-ups before the second period.
Lamptey has been kept out of action by an ankle issue, while Burrell has been missing for an extended part of the current campaign. However, it’s the absence of Amadou Mbengue that will likely be felt for the longest, after he was stretchered off during the big win against Derby. Another ex-Lincoln loanee, Alfie Lloyd, suffered a serious hamstring injury last weekend that is expected to keep him out for an extended period of time.
Speaking to BBC Radio London following that success against the Rams, Rs boss Julien Stephan revealed that the injury put a damper on an otherwise strong night.
“We don’t know exactly what the situation is with his knee, but it’s never good to see a player like this come off with a lot of pain. It’s never a good sign.
“Normally, when you play a game like this and you score four, you are very happy and very positive – and I have to be very positive about the way we played. Unfortunately we had the Amadou situation and that’s why it’s a mix of feelings for us.”
Summer Business
Stephan’s squad didn’t require major overhaul this summer; instead, only minor tweaks were required. The signing of Pierce Charles on loan from Manchester City has proved invaluable, while Calum Ward has also boosted that department from Motherwell. Cirkin and Lamptey both have Premier League experience and were picked up on free transfers from Sunderland and Florence respectively.
Full-back Boy Kemper (NAC Breda) and Glen Kamara (Rennes) finalised the Hoops activity in the transfer window, utilising the basis of an already strong squad. It helped that big departures were minimal, losing Sam Field to league rivals Norwich City and Zan Celar to Swiss outfit Basel. Several members of the squad have dropped a division, with a mixture of temporary and permanent deals.
Previous Meetings
If you thought matches between ourselves and Watford were rare, clashes between Lincoln and QPR have been even more difficult to come by. There have only been six competitive meetings, with the last of those over half a century ago in 1971. The Hoops ran out 4-2 victors that day in a League Cup tie, one of their four successes against the Imps.
Four is also the number of meetings that have come in the league, with City’s solitary win coming in West London in 1961, just after our last campaign at this level of English football. December 1929 was the first time the teams met in a FA Cup tie, with QPR winning 2-1.
What Can We Expect?
Despite the Hoops minor blip in form over the past two matches, they remain a strong force. As mentioned, they have gone about their early-season business very quietly, and still remain in proximity to the Championship play-off places. Their two sizeable defeats against Birmingham and Southampton both came on the road, with just a solitary league defeat on their own patch thus far.
Tuesday evening’s result against Burnley will sting, but the same can be said for the Imps’ loss at Watford. Both sides will be looking for a response, and to enter the final international break of 2026 on a high. This match has taken on more significance following our last few games, and a positive result would be hugely welcome for Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw.
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