Tuesday 28th December 2010
Npower Football League Championship
The Ricoh Arena
Kick-off: 12:15
Referee: N D Swarbrick
Coventry City (6th) V Queens Park Rangers (1st)
By The Godfather

Queens Park Rangers don’t tend to play very well on television. This season, they have played Bristol City and Watford in front of the cameras and have produced poor performances in both fixtures. Therefore, despite the excellent victory over Swansea, I’m sure Rangers supporters will be feeling a little nervous about Tuesday’s game against Coventry City, a team that the Rs have not beaten in the last six encounters.

Coventry City

Manager: Aidy Boothroyd

Season 2009-10 finish: 19th position

The Sky Blues have spent the last few seasons struggling in lower mid-table, but supporters will be feeling confident that the current side can compete for the play-offs. Manager, Aidy Boothroyd, seems to have made a positive impact since his appointment, with City currently sitting in 6th position. Having achieved promotion during his spell with Watford, Boothroyd is a coach who knows the division well and often favours a direct, aggressive style of football, which usually reaps success in the Championship.

Although Coventry have enjoyed a successful start to the campaign, they come into this fixture on the back of two defeats against Norwich and Cardiff. Therefore, team morale could be low. Let’s hope that Rangers can exploit this on Tuesday afternoon.

Men to watch

1. Coventry’s main attacking threat is likely to be Marlon King, who joined the club earlier this season under controversial circumstances. King was convicted of sexual assault in 2009 and has since been placed on the sex offenders’ register. Despite this, he was allowed to return to his footballing career. The 30 year-old is a talented striker at this level, having enjoyed his most successful spell with Watford under Boothroyd, where he netted 24 times in 60 appearances. He also lists Gillingham, Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Hull among his former clubs.

2. Boothroyd could also select Gary McSheffrey, a forward who can play either up front or on the left flank. The 28 year-old was once rated as one of the best players outside the top tier, but suffered a series of injuries during his time with Birmingham City. Since signing for City during the summer, he has scored 5 times in 15 appearances.

3. In goal, Coventry have the in-form Keiren Westwood, who pulled off a string of fantastic saves against Cardiff City on Boxing Day. The 26 year-old’s impressive performances have earned him five international caps for the Republic of Ireland. He will certainly provide a stern test for the QPR forwards on Tuesday afternoon.

QPR Team News

Clint Hill is suspended after having been harshly sent off against Swansea City on Boxing Day. Neil Warnock has appealed against the decision, but he will have to wait until Thursday to hear from the FA. Bradley Orr is likely to replace him in the starting line-up. Lee Cook and Peter Ramage remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

This will be a difficult match against one of QPR's bogey teams. Aidy Boothroyd has built a physical, hard-working team that will probably be in or around the play-off positions come the end of the season. However, Coventry have not fared well against other sides in the top six and the Rs will be feeling confident following their 4-0 victory. Therefore, I am going to predict a narrow win for Warnock's men.

Coventry City 1-2 Queens Park Rangers