Preview: Queens Park Rangers vs Oxford United - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to continue their unbeaten streak in the second tier, Queens Park Rangers welcome Oxford United to Loftus Road in the Championship on Wednesday night.

The R's had to settle for a share of the points at Sheffield Wednesday on the weekend, whilst the U's were defeated by Chris Wilder's Sheffield United.

Match preview

Since a four-game winless run across the Championship and EFL Cup to commence the 2025-26 season - a spell which concluded with a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Coventry City - Queens Park Rangers have hit a patch of good form heading towards the October international break.

The R's extended their unbeaten streak in the second tier to a commendable four matches on Saturday afternoon, when a second-half penalty from Danish midfielder Nicolas Madsen rescued a point at Hillsborough against a crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday.

After collecting 10 points from their most recent quartet of second-tier fixtures, QPR have firmly moved past their disaster at the CBS Arena in late August and sit ninth in the Championship standings, just two points behind Frank Lampard's Sky Blues in second.

Julien Stephan's troops are one of eight sides who are yet to be defeated on home soil in the league this season, with the R's earning an opening-day point from Preston North End at Loftus Road, before back-to-back successes recently against Charlton Athletic and Stoke City.

Following a standout season for promotion contenders Wycombe Wanderers in League One last season, Richard Kone has made an eye-catching start to his first-ever campaign in the Championship for QPR, scoring three goals across six league appearances.

Oxford's struggles in front of their own supporters continued on the weekend, when their winless streak at the Kassam Stadium stretched to five competitions at the beginning of this season as Sheffield United picked up their maiden victory of the campaign at the seventh attempt.

For the first time since the 6-0 battering at the hands of Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup, the U's failed to find the net last time out, with a second-half effort from former Coventry sweetheart Callum O'Hare securing maximum points for the visiting Blades.

Despite earning points off Leicester City and the aforementioned Sky Blues in September - as well as a maximum over Bristol City - Gary Rowett's side remain trapped in the relegation zone, collecting just five points from their opening seven Championship contests of the term.

Finding the net in the 2-2 draw with promotion favourites Leicester in the middle of September, U's striker Will Lankshear matches QPR's Kone on three second-tier goals so far, with the Tottenham Hotspur loanee taking centre stage as the star forward at the Kassam Stadium.

Oxford have struggled in matches against Wednesday's hosts in recent times, with QPR coming out victorious in each of the last three competitive meetings between the sides since August 2021.

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:

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Oxford United Championship form:

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Team News

QPR are battling on without the services of main attacking stars, including Ilias Chair, who picked up a muscle injury in late August.

The R's are also unable to call upon the trickery of summer arrival Kwame Poku, with the ex-Peterborough United man suffering a hamstring problem after just one Championship appearance.

There are also problems in defence for head coach Stephen to fight against, with centre-back Jake Clarke-Salter nursing a hip issue.

Notching up 94 appearances for QPR between 2013 and 2016, Oxford veteran Matt Phillips is unavailable this Wednesday owing to a knock.

An exciting January arrival from Utrecht in the Netherlands, Ole Romeny is currently on the sidelines for the U's because of an ankle injury.

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:

Nardi; Dunne, Morrison, Mbengue, Norrington-Davies; Hayden, Madsen, Dembele, Frey, Saito; Kone

Oxford United possible starting lineup:

Cumming; Spencer, Helik, Long, Currie; Placheta, De Keersmaecker, Brannagan, Krastev; Prelec, Lankshear

We say: Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Oxford United

Even with a host of attacking stars missing, Queens Park Rangers should have enough quality to get the job done on Wednesday night.

The U's were impressive during their most recent away match at Bristol City, although we do not envisage consecutive wins on the road for Rowett's men.

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