Match Preview | Cardiff City vs. Queens Park Rangers
Neil Harris’ men will take on Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday, January 20th. The Bluebirds face Mark Warburton’s side at Cardiff City Stadium, kicking-off at 7pm.
How do I watch the match?
The only place to watch this game is on Cardiff City TV!
Cardiff City TV's broadcast includes a pre-match show ahead of a multi-camera production, with former Bluebirds skipper Jason Perry joining the commentary team for Wednesday evening’s fixture.
A Cardiff City TV Match Pass can be purchased now for just £10 in the UK & Ireland. International Match Passes are available for just £7 per game, or £20 a month.
Please note: this fixture will not be available to watch on Sky Sports’ red button service.
Supporters in the UK & Ireland can also purchase a Commentary Pass for £5 a month, or for just £25 for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign.
How can I purchase the matchday programme?
There are two ways to get hold of the Cardiff City vs. Queens Park Rangers matchday programme.
The Bluebird – edition 13 for 2020/21, featuring new recruit Max Watters as cover star and feature interview, can be ordered and delivered in its traditional print format from Cardiff City FC SuperStore. Click here to buy your copy!
The Bluebird is now available digitally. The Queens Park Rangers edition is available to download now!
You can purchase a digital subscription for The Bluebird, receiving all 23 copies for 2020/21 direct to your phone or tablet for just £24.99. To purchase, download the MatchDayInfo App, visit 'My Teams', and click 'Season Programme Pass'.
Alternatively, individual digital copies of The Bluebird can be purchased before each game for £1.99 per edition.
To download the MatchDayInfo App click on the links below and search ‘Cardiff City’:
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Press conference | Harris pre-QPR
City boss Neil Harris spoke to the press and media on Tuesday afternoon, providing his pre-match thoughts ahead of QPR’s visit to the Welsh capital.
“We know that this group is capable of winning games in succession, and we need to be targeting back-to-back wins that become runs of three or four.
“That can take you right back towards those top six places, and I believe that this group has it in them to do that.
“We need to get back to a clean sheet mentality that we haven’t had over the past five games and find that edge again from set plays and open play.”
Opposition Focus: Season so far
The R’s have endured an inconsistent campaign thus far, which has seen them slip down towards the lower end of the Championship table in recent weeks. Rangers occupy 20th position in the second tier, having recorded 24 points from their 23 league fixtures. Mark Warburton’s men are two places above the drop zone, but are being hotly pursued by Derby County and Rotherham United, both of whom were able to cut the gap on QPR by picking up points from their respective fixtures last night.
December proved to be a difficult month for the West London outfit, who failed to record a single victory from their eight league fixtures. Over the festive period, Rangers played out a 1-1 draw with bottom side Wycombe Wanderers, before falling to a 2-0 Boxing Day defeat against Swansea City. The R’s closed out 2020 with a hard-fought point against league leaders Norwich City on December 29th.
After seeing their first fixture of 2021 postponed on January 2nd, QPR kicked-off the New Year with a 2-0 extra-time defeat against Fulham in the Third Round of the FA Cup. However, Warburton’s side recorded their first victory in ten attempts against Luton Town on January 12th, emerging from Kenilworth Road with a 2-0 victory. Rangers’ weekend game against Wycombe Wanderers was also postponed, meaning that they head to the Welsh capital on the back of an eight-day period without a fixture.
Opposition Focus: Winter window
QPR boss Mark Warburton has been busy in the January transfer window, adding two new faces to his Rangers squad in the past fortnight. On January 9th, Charlie Austin returned to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, having departed the club for Southampton in 2015. The forward made an immediate impact during his second debut for the R’s, scoring the opener in their victory over Luton Town.
Defender Jordy de Wijs also signed for Rangers this month, arriving on a temporary transfer from Hull City on January 14th. The Dutchman, who agreed a loan deal with a view to a permanent move to Loftus Road in the summer, made 35 appearances for the Tigers last season, and could make his QPR debut against the Bluebirds at Cardiff City Stadium.
The departure of two first-team players from the club have been announced during the January window. Goalkeeper Liam Kelly, who did not feature for the R’s during the first half of the season, joined Motherwell in his native Scotland back on January 6th. On Saturday, the club informed supporters that highly rated winger Bright Osayi-Samuel will leave the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium in the summer, having signed a pre-contract agreement with Turkish side Fenerbahçe.
Opposition Focus: Ones to watch
Ilias Chair has been one of QPR’s biggest threats in front of goal this season, and is their joint-top scorer with five strikes in all competitions. Since joining the club in January 2017, the midfielder has progressed through the ranks to become a mainstay in Mark Warburton’s side, and has featured in all 23 of Rangers’ league fixtures this season. The 23-year-old, who has made a single international appearance for the Morocco U23 team, can operate through the middle of the park or on either attacking flank.
Robert Dickie, pictured above, arrived at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium from Oxford United this summer, and has not looked out of place during his debut campaign as a Championship defender. The centre-back has played in 20 second-tier matches this term, scoring once and providing another assist, and will be hoping to build on the six clean sheets Rangers have kept so far this season. Dickie could come up against a familiar face on Wednesday evening; during the 2018/19 campaign, he and Curtis Nelson frequently featured together at the heart of Oxford’s defence.
Macauley Bonne has enjoyed a rapid rise to the second tier, having been playing in the National League with Leyton Orient in 2019. The forward’s impressive record at Brisbane Road earned him a move to Charlton Athletic, where he scored three league goals last term. Since arriving at QPR in October, Bonne has already matched his tally from 2019/20, netting his third goal of the campaign from the substitute’s bench in the R’s recent win over Luton.
