Preview | Queens Park Rangers v Swansea City
Swansea City head to take on Queens Park Rangers tonight in the Sky Bet Championship (7.45pm KO).
The Swans are looking to bounce back from the disappointment of south Wales derby defeat at the weekend, with head coach Michael Duff urging his side to show character with their back against the wall.
They take on a QPR side who have lost all three of their home games in all competitions so far this season, and both sides will be keen to record an important victory in their respective seasons.
TEAM NEWS
The Swans are waiting on the fitness of Joe Allen and Kyle Naughton after the pair missed out against Cardiff due to injury.
Allen had been due to start the derby, only to suffer a groin injury in the warm-up, while Naughton was unavailable with a knock.
Liam Walsh and Nathanael Ogbeta are the only players who will definitely miss out in west London.
PRE-MATCH VIEWS
Michael Duff: “I don’t like getting beat, but I have been here before and this is where you see the true character at the football club.
“It feels like our backs are against the wall and, like I say, this is when you see the true character of the group.
“I will stick to what I believe in and my values, and we have to stick to the task.
“We need to win a game, we need to show belief and stick at it.
“I have been here before at my two previous clubs, it takes a bit of time to implement it. It is about embedding what I think is important.
“The application and attitude were better against Cardiff, but it was our quality that let us down.
“I have been in the game for 30 years, and no one comes and give you a win, you have to earn it, and that’s what we need to do.”
Gareth Ainsworth: "The next game is around the corner and we have the opportunity to put things right on Tuesday.
"It's about us although of course I watched Swansea against Cardiff on Saturday evening.
"We'll be fit and firing for Tuesday."
MEET THE OFFICIALS
Andrew Kitchen is the man in the middle for tonight's game as he takes charge of a Championship fixture for the first time.
You can find out more about him and his team of officials below.
REMEMBER THE LAST TIME?
Swansea City came from behind to claim a point on their last trip to Loftus Road, with Jay Fulton’s late strike cancelling out a first-half opener from Jamal Lowe.
After initially starting well, the Swans were thwarted by a well-organised Queens Park Rangers side and Lowe opened the scoring shortly before the half-hour mark with one of only two shots on target in the first half.
The second half, however, exploded into life. The home side had two big chances to extend their lead, the first from an in-direct free kick which was blocked by Harry Darling, and the second when a mishit kick by Andy Fisher – who had replaced the injured Steven Benda – left Lowe with an empty to net to aim for. The goalkeeper recovered to make the stop.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, and roared on by the travelling away support, Fulton finished off a good move to seal a point on the road.
Both sides had chances to win it in a frantic final few minutes, but in the end the points were shared.
PRIME NUMBERS
3 - In the last 11 meetings at Loftus Road, there have been just three games where both sides have scored.
5 - Swansea City are unbeaten in five of their last six league visits to Loftus Road, winning three of them.
5 - Swansea have the fifth-best record in the Championship for shots conceded. Only Leeds, Birmingham, Sunderland and Watford have allowed fewer shots.