Preview: Manchester United vs QPR Manchester United are still looking for a first competitive win under Louis van Gaal, following a shock Capital One Cup exit to MK Dons plus two draws and a defeat from the opening three matches in the Barclays Premier League. Wayne Rooney and co began 2007/08 in a similar manner and ended up as champions, but van Gaal knows there is work to be done to get this season back on track. Conquering QPR would be the ideal way to start, although the visitors will be buoyant after beating Sunderland 1-0 for their first points since returning to the top flight. Team News: United still have a lengthy injury list, with nine players ruled out of Sundays clash - Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Sam Johnstone, Jesse Lingard, James Wilson, Reece James and now Phil Jones. The latter was taken off with a knock in Englands 2-0 win over Switzerland, but Ander Herrera is back in contention having recovered from an ankle problem. Van Gaal has confirmed Luke Shaw is fit enough to play but not the whole game, and he could be one of several debutants alongside Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao while Angel Di Maria is set for his maiden home game. QPR are without the injured Aleandro Faurlin but have been bolstered by deadline-day arrivals Niko Kranjcar and Sandro. The Opposition: QPR boss Harry Redknapp is one of the most popular and experienced managers in the Barclays Premier League, having previously led West Ham, Portsmouth, Southampton (twice) and Tottenham. He twice finished in the top four with Spurs, leading them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2010, and two years earlier won the FA Cup with Pompey. He masterminded promotion via the play-offs last term but has a dreadful league record at Old Trafford, having lost all 14 of his previous trips, and will be desperate to end that run on Sunday. Rio Ferdinand will have a big part to play if the Hoops are to stay up this season. After 12 years of superb service with United, Rio joined QPR on a free transfer and Redknapp will hope his many years of top-level experience can bring a vital solidity to the defence. Betting: Van Gaals men are touted as favourites by official betting partners bwin, with a home win available at odds of 1.29. QPR are priced at 10.50 with the draw at 5.00. Alternatively, you could back Di Maria to mark his OT debut with a brace at 11.00. Last Meeting: Rafael opened the scoring with a stunning 20-yard effort in a 2-0 Reds victory when the two sides last met in February 2013, while Ryan Giggs was also on target at Loftus Road in his 999th senior appearance. It put Sir Alex Fergusons side 15 points clear at the top of the table en route to a 20th league title success. The season ended in heartbreak for QPR as they were relegated after finishing bottom. Match Officials: Phil Dowd will referee Sundays game with Peter Kirkup and Scott Ledger as his assistants, while Andre Marriner is the fourth official.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 00:47:42 +0000
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