Ian Holloway has been outlining his plans for defeating high-flying Derby County as they visit Loftus Road this evening.

QPR manager Holloway, speaking to their official club website, had this to say on his team's approach to the game:

"They’re one of the top teams in this division who play the 4-2-3-1 – and we haven’t beaten anyone who does that. So we’ve been thinking about how we’re going to beat them.  We’ve had a high tempo and high press in a lot of our home games this season – we didn’t last time out. It’s up to us to try and find the right balance. We need to get across to our opponents’ full-backs and that’s sometimes been a problem for us when we’ve been playing with a 3-5-2."

QPR look safe from relegation and are far enough behind the top six not to harbour any play off ambitions, but points will still be important as they make absolutely sure of second-tier status next season.

As for the Rams, they're chasing that elusive promotion to the Premier League and currently sit fifth, five points inside the play off spots.

However, Holloway noted that their form hasn't been terrific, giving Hoops fans food for thought.

"Derby haven’t been winning of late, so we need to get about them as best we can. That’s what our fans will want to see."

QPR were without a game this weekend thanks to the weather, but they were hammered 5-2 by Forest last time out and have only won one of their last four matches.

The Verdict

It's unusual to see a manager being so open about his tactical approach to the game, but it won't have been done without plenty of prior thought.

Ian Holloway is a canny manager and he will have wanted Derby to be aware of how they're going to approach the game.

It won't make the task any easier, QPR are still reeling from that Forest defeat and Derby will want to match their rivals result.