Marti Cifuentes confirms QPR injury blows and sends Blackburn Rovers warning
Marti Cifuentes has been speaking ahead of QPR’s tough-looking clash with Blackburn Rovers.
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes has issued an injury update ahead of his side’s tough-looking clash with fast starters Blackburn Rovers. The Hoops make the trip to Ewood Park still looking for their second win of the season after drawing with local rivals Millwall last time out.
Meanwhile, Blackburn are up in fourth place having already racked up 12 points up to this point. It promises to be a big test for QPR as they look to begin climbing the table, and they will not be helped by the absence of two players.
Both Jack Colback and Liam Morrison will be absent with injury issues, Cifuentes confirming: “Liam has been in and out of training with discomfort in his knee. In the end, we have taken the decision for him to have minor but successful surgery.
“He’s going to be out for some weeks, but he’s very optimistic after the process and I’m sure he’ll be back stronger. Jack took a hit to the knee against Sheffield Wednesday. He has a minor injury and we’ll have to see whether he’ll be available for the game against Hull or Derby, because he definitely won’t be ready for Saturday.”
Meanwhike, Ilias Chair and Morgan Fox are nearing returns, with Cifuentes adding: “It’s given everyone a boost – firstly because they’re important players for us, secondly because they have big personalities.
“Ilias always affects the team with his positivity and Morgan is such a fantastic professional with high standards and demands. t’s given everyone that bit more energy – it has been great to see them back involved with the team. We will take a decision as to whether they are match-ready – but I’m optimistic about seeing them back involved soon.”
Cifuentes on Rovers test
Speaking about the Rovers clash in general, Cifuentes warned this weekend’s opponents that his side are tough to beat. “We’ve had a good week of training,” he said. “I have to be honest and say that we were disappointed with our performance against Millwall – we didn’t dominate the game as much as we wanted to.
“But we played against a team who have been playing well, who are not easy to beat at the moment – even if their results haven’t always suggested that is the case. We’ve had a week where we’ve been able to reflect on where we are as a team right now and, at the same time, take the positives of where we’re at. Even though our performance wasn’t great, we stayed in the game, competed and have managed to get points from these games.”