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Monday 13th April 2009
Loftus Road Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00
Referee: D Deadman
Queens Park Rangers (10th) V Sheffield Wednesday (12th)
By thegodfather

This will be Gareth Ainsworth’s second game in charge of the Rs after the departure of Paulo Sousa. He has not got off to a great start, losing 1-0 to promotion contenders, Burnley, at Turf Moor on Saturday. Let’s hope that the Rs can produce a better performance and get a decent result against Brian Laws’ Sheffield Wednesday side on Easter Monday.

Sheffield Wednesday

Last year, Sheffield Wednesday narrowly escaped relegation, securing their Championship status with a 4-1 win over Norwich City on the final day of the campaign. However, the 2008/09 season has been a different story, with the Owls sitting in mid-table, comfortably clear of the drop-zone.

Like Queens Park Rangers, Wednesday cannot reach the play-offs. However, manager, Brian Laws, will be aiming for the highest league finish possible and will be hoping to bounce back from Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 loss to Derby County.

Men to watch

The Owls’ top scorer is Marcus Tudgay, who has notched 13 goals this season. The 26 year-old has become a favourite with the fans after putting away the winner in a 2-1 victory over local rivals, Sheffield United, at Bramall Lane in February. The former Derby County man will be a threat on Monday.

Francis Jeffers could partner Tudgay up front. Throughout his career, the 28 year-old has been hampered by injury. He first made a name for himself at Everton, where he netted 20 goals in 50 appearances. This impressive scoring record attracted the interest of Arsene Wenger, who purchased him for £8 million in 2001. However, injuries kept Jeffers out of the Gunners side and he was eventually sold to Charlton Athletic. He then had spells with Glasgow Rangers, Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town before signing for Wednesday in 2007. He has only scored 3 goals this season.

Brian Laws could also select striker, Leon Clarke, in his starting line-up. The former Wolves man has put away 8 goals this season. The 24 year-old had a brief loan spell with Queens Park Rangers in 2006, making one appearance for the Hoops.

Jermaine Johnson will provide a difficult test for the QPR full-backs. The pacey winger joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2007 from Bradford City. The 28 year-old has made 40 appearances for the Jamaican national team.

In central midfield, James O’Connor will probably start. The 29 year-old played for Stoke City, West Brom and Burnley before joining the Owls during the summer of 2008.

Sean McAllister will partner O’Connor in the middle of the park. A product of Wednesday’s youth academy, the 21 year-old has played a key role for the Owls this season. He could have a bright future ahead of him.

At the back, centre-half, Richard Wood, has made over 150 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday since 2003. Earlier this season, his impressive performances at the heart of defence attracted interest from rival Championship clubs. He will provide a stern test for the Queens Park Rangers strikers on Monday.

At right-back, Sheffield Wednesday have Frankie Simek. He started his career with Arsenal and had a brief loan spell with Queens Park Rangers in 2004, making 5 appearances for the Rs. He signed for the Owls in 2005 and has since made over 100 starts for the club. Simek has made 5 appearances for the USA national team.

Goalkeeper, Lee Grant, signed for Sheffield Wednesday in 2007 from Derby County. The 26 year-old made 74 appearances for the Rams during a seven-year spell. Grant also featured for the England U-21 international side in 2003.

Previous Matches

November 2007 – Luigi De Canio’s Queens Park Rangers side were held by Sheffield Wednesday in an entertaining encounter at Loftus Road. Both teams squandered chances and the woodwork was hit on four occasions. The match somehow finished in a 0-0 draw.

Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday

March 2008 – Sheffield Wednesday came from behind to clinch an important victory over Queens Park Rangers. Damien Delaney put the Rs in front in the 15th minute, slotting home from close-range. However, Graham Kavanagh equalised just before half-time. Deon Burton scored the winner from the penalty spot after Lee Camp was penalised for a foul on Sean McAllister. Hogan Ephraim was shown a red card late on for raising his arms in the direction of Frank Songo’o.

Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

December 2008 – Queens Park Rangers were punished for not taking their chances against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Heidar Helguson and Lee Cook both missed golden opportunities during the first-half as the Rs dominated. However, the Owls took the lead in the 74th minute when Clarke smashed home from close-range. Wednesday held on for the three points, inflicting a first defeat on manager, Paulo Sousa.

Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Queens Park Rangers

League Form

Queens Park Rangers form: DWWDL (Last match – Burnley 1-0 QPR).

Sheffield Wednesday: DDDWL (Last match – Sheff Wed 0-1 Derby).

QPR Team News

Jordi Lopez could return to the starting line-up after missing the last few games through injury. Heidar Helguson and Damion Stewart will probably not feature. Rowan Vine started against Burnley and played for just under 70 minutes – he is likely to keep his place. Patrick Agyemang, Akos Buzsaky and Martin Rowlands remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

Both sides occupy the middle positions of the Championship with promotion/relegation not being a proposition for either. I think that this game has a draw written all over it. I’m afraid that I think this will be a dull encounter finishing in a 0-0 draw.

Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday