Esteban Granero: 'I didn't expect to be battling to survive at Queens Park Rangers'

Queens Park Rangers midfielder Esteban Granero has admitted that he didn't expect to be in the middle of a relegation fight when he moved to Loftus Road from Real Madrid last summer.

The West London outfit are bottom of the Premier League table on 13 points and five away from safety but Granero has insisted that the R's have been buoyed by their recent 1-0 win over Chelsea.

"The more confidence you have, the smoother things go on the pitch," The Express quotes Granero as saying. "Things are easier for everyone when you are winning games, especially against big teams like Chelsea.

"But we know we still have plenty of hard work ahead because we are still a long way from the end of the season. Of course, I didn't expect to be fighting relegation when I came to QPR.

"But that is the situation now so we have to accept that and fight to stay up. I came to England to face big challenges and this is very big."

QPR will switch their focus to the FA Cup this weekend when they take on West Bromwich Albion in the third round tomorrow.