While Preston have reached this stage of the season in a position that their supporters would have jumped at before the campaign had started, that is not to say that they will be happy with their progress.
Just two victories – directly before the international break – have been recorded in 11 games, momentum being lost even though they still sit just points adrift of third.
Losing 2-1 with 10 men to two last-gasp goals against Cardiff City took the wind out of their sails before they were on the receiving end of a 4-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.
Having been blitzed during the first half, Preston were arguably fortunate to depart the Riverside Stadium with that scoreline, and Ryan Lowe has a job on his hands to rouse his players ahead of this contest.
Although Preston have collected 17 points from their nine matches at Deepdale, just one victory, against previously-struggling Coventry City, has been posted in five outings.
QPR fans are still not sure what to make of their club appointing Marti Cifuentes as their new head coach, the move being very much left-field given the options that they had at their disposal.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard now has five points from his first four outings after his team registered a 4-2 victory over Stoke City on Tuesday night, posting their first success at Loftus Road since March.
links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4 HD
The West Londoners were aided by their opponents being down to 10 men before scoring three goals from the 79th minute onwards, yet it was the kind of turnaround that helps build momentum.
That said, Alan Browne, Duane Holmes and Ben Woodburn are all options to come into the midfield and final third, with Robbie Brady an option at left wing-back having served a one-
game ban.Lowe must also decide whether to risk the recently-returned Calvin Ramsey from the start as a replacement for Brad Potts, who serves a suspension of his own for five yellow cards.
