Queens Park Rangers will be targeting a return to winning ways against Cardiff City on Wednesday night following their 2-0 defeat to West Brom over the weekend.

Mark Warburton's side had won their four league matches leading up to their encounter with the unbeaten Baggies, but Nathan Ferguson and Matheus Pereira both netted as Albion secured a 1-0 win and climbed to the top of the table.

This defeat will have come as a setback to the Rs who had looked in a rich vein of form prior to this meeting, but they are still sitting ninth in the Championship and find themselves just one point outside the play-offs.

QPR will view their upcoming trip to the Cardiff City Stadium as an excellent chance to return to winning ways with the Bluebirds still adjusting to life back in the Championship following their Premier League relegation last term.

Neil Warnock's men bagged a late equaliser on the weekend to secure a 2-2 draw away to Hull, but they will now be targeting Wednesday's clash as an opportunity for their second consecutive home win after beating Middlesbrough 1-0 earlier in September.

So, how can Warburton reduce Cardiff's threat and ensure his side picks up three points on Wednesday?

We take a closer look...

It may be time for Warburton to turn to Liam Kelly in between the sticks

Warburton has stuck with last season's number-one choice Joe Lumley so far this season, but the Rs are yet to keep a clean sheet with him between the sticks which means it could be time for a change.

Lumley has not been exceptionally poor in the opening nine matches of the season, but a couple of mistakes have cost the Rs at times with this including his failure to keep out Ferguson's effort on Saturday.

It may seem harsh to drop Lumley given the impressive form QPR have been in, but it may be time for Warburton to turn to summer signing Kelly in goal temporarily. This would give the former Livingston man a chance to prove himself at his new club, while Lumley takes some time to re-build his confidence after an indifferent start to the season.

 

QPR can target Cardiff's vulnerability at set-pieces

Cardiff's overall gameplay was relatively good against Hull on Saturday, but it was their defensive effort that ultimately cost them three points as they conceded two goals from set-pieces against Grant McCann's side.

This is a clear area that Warburton's side can look to exploit against the Bluebirds on Wednesday, as the four-day turnover would not have given Warnock's side enough time to revamp their set-piece marking system following its failure on Saturday.

The two goals on Saturday mean Cardiff will surely feel a hint of nervousness surrounding set-pieces next time out, so QPR should consider sending the likes of Toni Leistner and Yoann Barbet forward to apply further pressure at corners and free-kicks.

Warburton needs to ensure he is quicker making reactive tactical adjustments

QPR had yielded great success from deploying a back three in their four-game winning run prior to the West Brom loss, with Leistner functioning superbly with the support of two other centre-backs in defence.

Warburton unsurprisingly decided to deploy the same system against West Brom on Saturday, but this meant his side were sometimes overrun by the Baggies' vibrant attack and he eventually switched to a back four.

The QPR boss may well decide to use three centre-backs again given the success it has brought his side, but it is important he reacts quickly to make any adjustments to the system if it looks as vulnerable as it did on Saturday.

[freshpress-poll ]