Queens Park Rangers

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Queens Park Rangers have confirmed that defender Amadou Mbengue suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the win over Derby County last Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Senegalese was stretchered off during the game and will now undergo surgery.

Rangers have not indicated a likely timeline for his absence.

Mbengue joined the R's in July 2025 from Reading and has played 53 times for the club.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's 3-0 win for Birmingham City over fellow fast-starters QPR.

Here are some of your comments:

Birmingham fans

Matt: We are absolutely flying! I doubted Chris Davies a few times, but right now he is working miracles! He really has this team ticking and I'm so pleased for him! Keep it up Blues!

George: Top, top, top performance from Blues. It's the best I've seen them play since we were in the Premier League.

Martin: Very impressive - Rangers very drilled, organised but no match for Millar's individual brilliance.

David: What a job Davies is doing, we look a completely different team from last season.

David Y: Outstanding performance. Keep this up and we will get automatic promotion.

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QPR fans

Ken: I do not understand why Paul Smyth is played on the left side when he performs so much better and is always a threat and gives us so much on the right. Stupid, I think. This happened many years ago with Jamie Mackie. Wrecked him. Probably end mid-table again when our squad of players are so much better then that. Stephan baffles me.

Colin: Rangers started the brighter of the two teams and if Boy Kemper had taken his chance after 10 minutes it might been a very different result. Birmingham took their chances and Rangers, while they played well, did not. Hopefully some of the injured players will be back next week for our home game against Swansea.

Gary: Stephan just got it so wrong! Kolli up front on his own. Smyth looked totally wiped, Kone is so unfit, formation wrong, narrow formation for a wide pitch, so we looked stretched… Should have played 5-3-2. Oh well… BCFC played well and look good!

Jim: Absolutely no consistency... much too early to sit on their laurels.

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QPR boss Julien Stephan expressed his frustration with his side's performance at both ends of the pitch in their 3-0 defeat to Birmingham City.

The R's had gone five games unbeaten heading into Saturday's match against a side above them only on goal difference, but were firmly second best in the West Midlands.

Stephan told Radio London: "It's a tough result for us. I think we started the game well, the first 10 to 15 minutes we did very well and the first situation we had - the long throw - we had a huge, huge situation to take the lead, and we know how important it is in these types of games to take the lead.

"I'm disappointed more with how we conceded the first goal. It's a little bit of a lack of maturity in this situation. Today we concede three goals on transition, it's really unusual for us.

"Probably we concede more in one game than the last 10 games. This is the story of the game.

"We wanted to start strongly second half and we concede immediately the second goal. The players never gave up but probably we face an opponent today better than us in some details, more fresh than us as well - they had one more day to recover."

Birmingham City take a four-game unbeaten run into their home meeting with QPR on Saturday (15:00 BST).

QPR ended a streak of four successive draws when beating Derby County 4-1 on Wednesday.

• Birmingham have not conceded in any of their past three home league games against QPR (W2 D1) since a 2-1 defeat in January 2022.

• After losing this fixture 1-0 last season, QPR are hoping to avoid losing back-to-back league visits to Birmingham for the first time since October 2008.

• With 17 points through their opening 10 Championship matches this season (W4 D5 L1), Birmingham have made their best start at this level since 2016-17.

• Each of QPR's past three away league games have finished in stalemate; they have not drawn four successive league fixtures on their travels since November 2010.

• This season in the Championship, QPR have conceded just one goal from set pieces (including penalties) – the joint-fewest in the competition, alongside Sheffield United. They also remain one of five teams in the second tier yet to concede from a corner.

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QPR fear Amadou Mbengue faces a long spell on the sidelines after the defender was stretchered off with a knee injury during the 4-1 win against Derby.

Mbengue, 24, is being assessed, but head coach Julien Stephan has admitted that the signs are not good.

"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," Stephan told BBC Radio London.

"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."

QPR are fifth in the Championship after beating Derby County 4-1 on Wednesday.

The defeat leaves the Rams still second from bottom and on a six-game winless run.

Here is what some of the fans of both sides made of the game.

QPR fans

Tomo - The team reached a different level. Shown glimpses of it before but it all clicked in the first half and even if Derby were off the pace it was a great performance.

Andrew - Classy Rangers. Plenty of moving parts, everyone looks good on the ball.

Don - Superb first half. We tore them apart and were too strong for them. From goalkeeper to up front everyone was superb. To give Derby credit they kept attacking for the whole second half even at 4-0 down and deserved their consolation goal. QPR now fighting with slick quick passing and energy - massive improvement from last season. Are we going up? Maybe.

Tim - Go on Rangers! Just hope we can get at least seven points from the next three games. Birmingham, Swansea and Southampton are three hard games. Be nice to finish in the play-offs.

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Derby fans

Steve - So poor. No passion, no desire, no creativity, no shape. Injuries are having an impact, but the style of football is negative and predictable.

John - Injuries acknowledged but, there is a reason why we lose a player for at least weeks if not months every game. Some is unlucky, some has to be down to the appalling level of fitness levels and conditioning of the players. It's a turgid style of football. I always want the manager and players to do well for Derby, but give us something to hang on to.

Andy - Lack of enthusiasm, fitness, desire and passion. Maybe time to change John Eustace, a certain Eddie Howe would be a great fit.

Per - Horrible defending and we must stop conceding sloppy goals to avoid relegation. Of course we have a lot of injuries but there seems to be a lack of leadership on the pitch.

Shaun - What can Derby do when you have nine players out including your whole back four and goalkeeper injured?

QPR boss Julien Stephan spoke to BBC Radio London after his side's 4-1 win over Derby County at Loftus Road. For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Queens Park Rangers will be without full-back Tariq Lamptey for their home game with Derby County on Wednesday.

Lamptey played the last 21 minutes of Friday's 1-1 draw at West Ham United as a substitute.

But the 26-year-old has picked up an ankle injury which will rule him out of Derby's visit.

"The medical staff will have to continue to assess him this week but he will not be available," manager Julien Stephan told BBC Radio London.

"Otherwise, for the other players who finished the last game very tired, it'll be okay."

Rangers will again be without striker Rumarn Burrell, who returned early from international duty with Jamaica after picking up an injury.

Stephan is expecting Derby to prove tricky opponents, despite them lying second from bottom in the Championship with only one win in their first nine matches.

"Derby doesn't play in the same way as West Ham, so the balance of power will be different," Stephan said.

"But we will have to find the way to repeat a strong performance at home against an experienced team with very good players.

"[Bobby] Clark, [Carlton] Morris, [Henrik] Meister, [David] Orzo, the midfielder, is a very good player as well, and [they have] some experienced defenders.

"We know this team. They beat us two times last season."

To listen to Stephan's full pre-match interview with BBC Radio London, use the play button above or click here.

Derby County seek an exit from the bottom two as they prepare to face Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

The Rams have only won one game this season to leave them in 23rd place, a single point above bottom club Preston North End but equally one point below safety.

However, QPR are winless in five with four successive draws to their name and will be hoping to keep their spot in the play-off positions.

• QPR lost home (2-3) and away (0-1) to Derby in the Championship last season, the first time they did so versus the Rams in a league campaign since 2016-17.

• Derby are looking to win back-to-back league visits to QPR for the first time since September 2008.

• QPR have only won one of their last seven home league games (D3 L3), beating Cardiff 2-1 in September.

• Since the start of February, Derby have lost eight and won just three of their 12 Championship away games, drawing 1-1 at Burnley most recently.

• Against no side has Derby's John Eustace won more Championship games as a manager than versus QPR (5, level with Swansea and West Brom).

Queens Park Rangers boss Julien Stephan spoke to BBC Radio London after their 1-1 draw away at West Ham United.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

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We asked for your thoughts after West Ham's 1-1 draw at home to QPR on Friday night.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Mandy: The harsh reality. A terrible performance. Stats show we had 12 shots, but not one before the 70th minute and Bowen's goal. Sloppy passing, no running, no midfield. Not sure Nuno knows his best team. Three weeks to prepare? What were they doing? Then a gift at the end and the captain fluffs it. A point is actually more than we deserved. A long season ahead. What. A. Let down.

Stuart: So frustrating to watch. First half so passive and no energy. Second half poor at the start and then improved. Should have been three points in the end but to be honest we would not have deserved it.

Matt: Same old West Ham again - it's like we think that we'll walk the league without trying for the first hour of a game, and then realise that we actually need to exert ourselves a bit for the last half hour.

If they can play like that the whole game then it will be great but it's been a recurring theme since the first game. I might be an outlier but I trust Nuno still - this feels like an effort issue from the players more so than tactical mismanagement, and the subs on Friday showed that he knows who to bring on when.

Sue: It was the worst I've seen this season. They were so slow and lacklustre. QPR's penalty was a joke but they did deserve something from the match even though the referee had to give it to them. If we don't start improving from the beginning of matches we will not get promotion.

David: Nuno says we start slowly in "some games". In fact it's every game. It's been a West Ham problem since the days of Moyes but it's Nuno's job to sort it out, especially in this division.

We have to get after teams but we make it comfortable for them with our slow sideways passing at the back and complete lack of physicality up front.

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QPR fans

Colin: QPR can be pleased with the result, going away to West Ham is not easy and they acquitted themselves well, in fact could have been 2-0 up going into the break. Last season they had problems with the GK position but this chap on loan from Citeh is top notch.

Paul: So solid for 70 minutes. Playing away from home, getting a point despite all our injuries is a fantastic effort. Hope at last.

Andrew: Good first half. Lost momentum in the second half but overall a great team effort and a good point away from home. Kolli certainly looked more dangerous up front than Kone.

Tony: Outstanding all round team performance from QPR. Showed a lot of class in the first half and in the second, courage, organisation and resilience. Well organised throughout and now looking like promotion contenders.

Stuart: Overall, we put in a solid performance. While the penalty was fortunate, it was just reward for our early pressure. We expected them to step things up in the second half, but up until the substitutions, we looked in control.

Their penalty was one of the clearest you'll see given all season, but Charles stepped up to ensure we didn't leave empty-handed.

QPR head coach Julien Stephan admits his side will face a tough task against Championship heavyweights West Ham in Friday's London derby.

The Hammers made a shaky start to the season but are now second in the table and unbeaten in their past six league matches - a run that has included four wins.

"We know that we will have a fantastic challenge but a very tough challenge," Frenchman Stephan told BBC London.

"We play a team that had some top results before the (international) break and have great ability to score and create danger.

"It's tough, but it's as well a lot of motivation."

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Former West Bromwich Albion and Scotland forward Matt Phillips has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 35-year-old made 238 league appearances for the Baggies, scoring 28 goals during an eight-year stay at The Hawthorns which included three seasons in the Premier League.

Phillips started his career with Wycombe Wanderers before joining Blackpool and then QPR in 2013. He cost Albion £5.5m in 2016.

He made his Scotland debut in a 5-1 friendly win over the USA in May 2012, going on to make 16 senior international appearances and scoring one goal during a win over Hungary in 2018.

After leaving the Baggies in August 2024, Phillips spent 18 months with Oxford United before ending last season with Stevenage where he scored two goals in 19 League One games.

"It's been an amazing journey, as my professional playing career comes to an end let's see what's next," he said on social media., external

Robbie Savage will have his first crack at management in the EFL after taking over at Peterborough United, while Michael Duff has replaced Graham Alexander at Bradford City.

Savage and Duff both appear on the latest 72+ EFL podcast with Jobi McAnuff, who is joined by Luke Chambers and Tommy Smith.

The panel also discuss the teams who have impressed and disappointed them in the Championship so far this season.

Spoiler alert... Stoke City, Swansea City, QPR, Burnley, Norwich City and Derby County all get a mention.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

The Championship returns from a three-week hiatus with a London derby on Friday as West Ham United host QPR (20:00 BST).

A victory for the Hammers would move them to the top of the table before the rest of the weekend's fixtures while a win for QPR would push them into second place.

• West Ham and QPR have not met in the league since the 2014-15 Premier League campaign; the Hammers won 2-0 at Upton Park that season, before the sides shared a 0-0 draw at Loftus Road.

• QPR lost their most recent game against West Ham, a 2-1 extra-time defeat in the FA Cup third round last season at the London Stadium. The Hoops have not won any of their past six visits across all competitions (D2 L4) since a 4-0 win in the Premier League in August 1993.

• West Ham have scored 22 Championship goals in eight games this season, more than any other side. All three teams with this many goals after eight games since 2004-05 have gone on to win the league - Wolves in 2008-09 (23), QPR in 2010-11 (22) and Coventry in 2025-26 (22).

• QPR are one of only two teams unbeaten away from home in the Championship this season (W2 D2), along with West Ham. They have only managed a longer away unbeaten run from the start of a season twice this century, eventually winning promotion on both occasions: 2010-11 (first nine) and 2013-14 (first five).

• No player has been involved in more Championship goals this season than West Ham's Jarrod Bowen (four goals, three assists), while he also ranks second for both shots (32) and chances created (24).

Queens Park Rangers boss Julien Stephan says his players must show ambition when they make the short trip to play West Ham United on Friday night - otherwise they "have to stay at home".

The two London clubs will be meeting in a league game for the first time since a goalless Premier League draw at Loftus Road in 2015, and for the first time in the second tier since 2004.

Both sides have lost just one of their first eight Championship games this season - with QPR sixth, only two points behind the second-placed Hammers.

Speaking to BBC Radio London before the game, Stephan said: "We play a team who had some top results before the [international] break. [They have a] great ability to score, to create danger.

"For sure, this is one of the best teams in the league, with a lot of strengths. It's a big, big challenge for us.

"[But] I think it's really important mentally to start a game like this with a lot of belief, with a lot of trust.

"If we start the game without ambition, we don't have to start the game, we have to stay at home. I can't accept that.

"We must start the game with the right mindset, with the right behaviours, with the right understanding.

"This is how we want to start the game against West Ham - with a lot of respect for them, but with a lot of respect, as well, for our fans."

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West Ham United will dedicate Friday's Championship game against Queens Park Rangers to former goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko, who died last month at the age of 64.

The hugely popular Miklosko played for both clubs, as well as spending time as a goalkeeping coach with West Ham.

The Czech played 373 times for the Hammers between 1990 and 1998, before joining QPR and making a further 57 league appearances.

His family and selected former team-mates will take part in a pre-match ceremony before the game at the London Stadium.

There will also be fan-led displays in two of the stands, a special video tribute on the big screens and a special commemorative match programme.

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