Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has warned his players that they face a 'tough away game' when they travel to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium tomorrow night to face Queens Park Rangers, speaking to the club's media team ahead of this clash.
The Welshman's side come into this game off the back of a disappointing 4-0 home defeat to automatic promotion contenders against Fulham - the first loss of his reign after winning 13 points from a possible 15 in his opening five games as Forest's manager.
Conceding just four goals in these opening matches, their result against the Cottagers was a far cry from the East Midlands side's recent form and they will be looking to rectify this against a QPR side that have also suffered recent blows.
Their loss on penalties at home to League One side Sunderland in the Carabao Cup in midweek was a continuation of their misery after losing 2-1 away at Peterborough United in stoppage time last weekend.
Based on this then, Forest will have a great chance against Mark Warburton's men to get back to winning ways and prove their 4-0 defeat at the City Ground in their last outing was nothing more than a blip.
After having a controversial goal ruled out against Sunderland though before their exit from the Carabao Cup, their opponents will be fired up ahead of this Friday evening's fixture under the lights in west London.
Cooper has warned his side about the dangers their face away from home tomorrow night, saying: "In the second half of last season, they (QPR) were as good as anybody in terms of form and the way they played.
"They have good experience in the team and players who have had success in the league, so it’s a tough away game, but one we are looking forward to."
The Verdict:
QPR are in the top half of the table for a reason and after a strong start to the 2021/22 campaign, they have shown how dangerous they could be during this campaign if they can retain their consistency throughout the majority of the season.
Their frontline is one area in particular that Forest will need to be wary of - and it will be interesting to see whether Warburton opts to play one or two up top. They have three established options in Lyndon Dykes, Andre Gray and Charlie Austin who can all be dangerous on their day.
The former has started his season particularly well for club and country, with the latter two still yet to find their shooting boots so far this season, but their experience should be able to guide them through this run.
Ilias Chair, who is likely to start behind the forward(s) as another attacking threat, has managed to get into top form recently and he will be another player for Forest's back three to get to grips with.
There are questions over his consistency, but the Moroccan international is almost unstoppable when he's on song, so keeping him quiet could be the difference between one and three points for the away side tomorrow evening.