QPR, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle boost as Championship rivals confirm player's ban

QPR hopes of beating high-flying Blackburn Rovers this weekend have been boosted by confirmation that the hosts won't be able to play Liverpool loan star Owen Beck.

Marti Cifuentes' takes his R's side to Ewood Park on Saturday as he looks to make it six Championship games unbeaten but the Catalan is still looking for his second league win of the campaign. Rovers sit fourth in the table at this early stage of the season with three wins and three draws to their name.

John Eustace's side were involved in a feisty draw against Preston North End last weekend, which saw Beck sent off towards the end of the match. The 22-year-old, who is spending the season at Ewood Park on loan from Premier League outfit Liverpool, had wasted no time in cementing a role in the starting XI since arriving from Anfield at the end of August.

The Wales under-21 international has already made his first team debut for Liverpool and has been praised by former manager Jurgen Klopp following past loan spells at Bolton Wanderers and Dundee.

However, Beck will not face QPR this weekend as Blackburn Rovers confirm that he will serve a three-match ban for the straight red card picked up last weekend. The defender will also be out of action for upcoming fixtures against Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle.

In a short statement shared on social media platform X, Blackburn Rovers said: "Following his sending off against Preston North End on Sunday, Owen Beck will now serve a three-match suspension. The defender will therefore miss our upcoming games against QPR (H), Coventry City (A) and Plymouth Argyle (A)."

Beck's red card came as part of a melee towards the end of the match against Preston North End. The defender swung a leg to try and clear the ball in the 87th minute, but clobbered Duane Holmes, which sparked a heated confrontation between the two sides.

During that coming together, Preston North End man Milutin Osmajic is alleged to have bitten Beck on the neck during that late confrontation. Osmajic saw yellow but The Mirror reports that the player is now set to face 'further action' from the FA this week.

Speaking after the game, Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace admitted that Beck was left 'shaken up' by the incident and had a 'big bite mark' as a result.

He added: "I haven't really seen it, he went to clear the ball and possibly caught the lad. He's got a big bite mark on the back of his neck.

"It's a shame the referee didn't see that as well. He has been in and shown the lads. He's very disappointed to be sent off and you don't expect him to have that either. He's a bit quiet in there and a bit shaken up.

“I don't know if he spoke to the referee. I'm not sure if it was before or after the red. He might want to speak to the officials about it. It's a very serious incident, nobody likes to be bitten. Everyone is angry about it, it's not a nice situation to be in. I'm sure the right people will see it and deal with it.”