'Cramped' and 'endeavour' - QPR and Millwall sent messages by upcoming Championship opponents

QPR welcome Preston North End this weekend.QPR welcome Preston North End this weekend.
QPR welcome Preston North End this weekend. | Getty Images
There’s Championship action in London this weekend with Loftus Road and The Den hosting matches ahead of Christmas.

Preston North End midfielder Ali McCann has shared his excitement to play at Loftus Road this weekend ahead of the six-pointer Championship meeting with QPR.

It's the final fixture before Christmas in West London with the mood around the famous stadium lifted in recent weeks thanks to a turnaround in form by Marti Cifuentes and the R's. Last time out at Loftus Road, QPR picked up a 2-0 win against Oxford United with a 3-0 victory over Norwich City coming before that.

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QPR now look to make it three wins on the bounce at the stadium and McCann is relishing the challenge of stopping that happening. He told the Lancashire Evening Post: “Yeah, it [Loftus Road] is class. That was my first start in the league for Preston... I got injured like! But, the stadium is nice - quite cramped, old school and it’s a good place to play.

"I like going down [to London]. We get the train down and I’m sure the fans are the same, it’s a good day out.

“It’ll be even better if we can head back up having won it. It was [a relief to win at Cardiff] because it was one of those frustrating things. We had played well in a lot of games, but hadn’t won for a while. It was a relief, but also satisfaction because we deserved to win and we got our reward for playing well.”

Preston North End revel in midfield work

The Northern Ireland international has started 16 of the 18 league outings under Paul Heckingbottom, having missed the first two through injury and suspension. The engine in midfield, McCann has also captained the team with Ben Whiteman on the bench in recent outings.

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Summer signing Stefan Thordarson has partnered McCann in recent fixtures and the 25-year-old previewed how that pairing in the centre of the park could attack QPR this weekend. He said: “I think, as the weeks have gone by, you can see the way he wants to play is high pressing. He has been great since he came in. His man-for-man style and getting after teams suits me to be fair, so I’ve really enjoyed it so far.

“We sort of see more of the ball and we have been building from the back, so as a midfielder you are naturally going to get on the ball more - and you’re going to improve if you’re playing better stuff. For me, personally, getting a run of games and putting in some good performances just breeds confidence.”

Blackburn Rovers aware of threat The Den poses

Millwall are also at home this weekend as the club continues to look for a successor to Neil Harris. It's former R’s caretaker boss John Eustace who visits on Saturday, bringing his in-form Blackburn Rovers side to The Den.

The home of Millwall is known across the continent as one of the toughest grounds to visit. In November, promotion-chasing Leeds United and Burnley tripped up in London with Harris revelling in the mood around the stadium at the time.

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John Eustace returns to Millwall this weekend.John Eustace returns to Millwall this weekend.
John Eustace returns to Millwall this weekend. | Getty Images

The wheels have somewhat come off since then with the side losing their last two home fixtures against Coventry City and Sheffield United 1-0. Nonetheless, Eustace is adamant that The Dem remains a tricky day out ahead of Christmas.

He told the Blackburn Rovers website: “There won’t be any bigger game than Millwall away on Saturday and we’ll have to match their endeavour and their work rate. I’m sure the boys will be ready for that.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge. The majority of our players know the league inside-out now. It’s a game we’re looking forward to and the most important thing is that we prepare properly and look after ourselves. We know our jobs.”

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