Chelsea Official Site
PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V QUEENS PARK RANGERS
TACTICAL BRIEFRangers have looked nervous and hesitant at home and play with more freedom away. However, Jim Magilton may choose to play things safe and opt for a 4-5-1 to his preferred 4-4-1-1 formation.
He has recently enjoyed success using loanee Adel Taarabt or former Birmingham City man Rowan Vine as a deep-lying forward but may elect to match Chelsea for numbers in the main battleground.
Spurs flop Taarabt, who was suffering with mumps, has returned to full training and will probably play behind on-loan Arsenal striker Jay Simpson, who scored both goals in Rangers' win at Cardiff. Simpson is already telling his manager where to play him - typical Gooner.
Other forwards include much-travelled Italian lower league man Alessandro Pellicori and Patrick Agyemang, a former Ghana international who has played alongside Michael Essien.
QPR's midfield provides width to attack through journeyman Wayne Routledge on the right and, down the left, Akos Buzsaky, Hungary international and Rangers' no.10, whose curling shots from distance with either foot have earned the sobriquet the 'magical Magyar'.
Centre of the field is more of a problem for manager Magilton as Ben Watson, who takes corners and free kicks, is cup-tied: he lost to Blackpool with Wigan in an earlier round. Argentinean Alejandro Faurlín is likely to take over Watson's duties, with former Watford battler Gavin Mahon stepping into the holding role.
An alternative would be for Mikele Leigertwood , who has been playing right-back recently, to move to centre midfield and Peter Ramage - who at 6ft 1in brings useful height at set-pieces - to full-back. Skipper Martin Rowlands completes the heart of the Rangers team.
Along with either Ramage or Leigertwood, the visitors' defence will feature Damion Stewart (whose facebook profile picture has him competing for possession with Didier Drogba in 2008) and Kaspars Gorkss, the Latvia international and aerial threat, in the centre. Gary Borrowdale should play at left-back. Rangers' most accomplished defender Matthew Connolly has a virus and looks unlikely to figure. Veteran Fitz Hall has a groin injury.
Goalie Radek Cerny's most recent visits to Stamford Bridge, both with last weekend's slaughtered opponents Spurs, have been memorable occasions. In March 2007 he was part of the team that drew a remarkably open match 3-3 in the FA Cup (he missed the Blues' 2-1 win in the replay).
Almost a year later in the league he faced Nicolas Anelka making his Chelsea debut, but the game is remembered for the ferocious 30-yard Goal of the Season that Juliano Belletti sent fizzing past Rangers' current no.1.
He will hope to perform better than poor Lee Camp did during Rangers' last match here in January 2008. The keeper dived full-length but missed a low Claudio Pizarro shot (pictured) which rebounded off a post and his head to give Chelsea a well-deserved win.
The side Carlo Ancelotti picks will no doubt be a blend of youngsters, seniors returning from injury and regular starters. It makes the reports from his scouts all the more difficult for Magilton to analyse
www.chelseafc.com/page/TalkingPoints/0,,10268~50795,00.html
PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V QUEENS PARK RANGERS
WE HAVE HISTORYManager Jim Magilton played 12 times against Chelsea for Oxford United, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich (pictured below), ending on the winning side just once, when he scored for Oxford in a shock 3-1 FA Cup win at the Bridge in January 1991.
The Blues are hoping to extend our unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge against QPR to 12 games in all competitions. The full record is played 11, won seven, drawn four, lost none, goals scored 16, goals against six.
The two sides have only been drawn together once before in this competition, back in the days of Dixon-Speedie-Nevin and the notorious plastic of Loftus Road (the pitch, not the support).
In front of a full house of 27,000 Pat Nevin equalised Rangers' early strike from pesky John Byrne, the Scottish winger touching home a Colin Lee header from Jerry Murphy's corner. The Blues, though, were grateful for Gary Bannister's miss when one-on-one with Eddie Niedzwiecki, and Keith Dublin cleared another Byrne effort off the line. Kerry Dixon's late strike was ruled offside.
Chelsea went into the replay with some confidence, having only lost to Manchester Utd all season at the Bridge, but minus Dixon, injured in an FA Cup defeat by Liverpool at the weekend. The winners of the London derby would face the same Reds in a League Cup semi-final. The game, played in freezing conditions, was dominated by a Chelsea side lacking the cutting edge and remained a stalemate until extra time, when Alan McDonald stole in to head Rangers in front.
The killer second was controversial. While Chelsea poured forward for an equaliser Niedzwiecki was stretching the leg of prone cramp victim Micky Robinson. A few minutes later the Good Samaritan keeper fluffed a clearance straight to the Rangers midfielder he had assisted, who launched the ball 55 yards into an empty net to make it 2-0. Remember that one tonight.
Previous League Cup meetingsQuarter-final 22 Jan 1986 Loftus Road
QPR …………………1 Chelsea……………1
Byrne Nevin
Quarter-final replay 29 Jan 1986 Stamford Bridge
Chelsea………….0 QPR…….……………. 2 (after extra time)
Chelsea Niedzwiecki; Wood, Dublin (Hazard), Pates (c), Rougvie, Bumstead, Nevin, Spackman, McAllister, Speedie, Murphy.
QPR Barron; McDonald, Dawes, Neill, Wicks, Fillery, Robinson, James, Bannister, Byrne (M Allen), Fereday. Scorers: McDonald, Robinson
Other cup meetings
Feb 21 1970 FA Cup 6th round
QPR 2 (Venables pen, Bridges) Chelsea 4 (Webb, Osgood 3)
Jan 5 1974 FA Cup 3rd round
Chelsea 0 QPR 0
Jan 15 1974 FA Cup 3rd round replay
QPR 1 (Bowles) Chelsea 0
Jan 29 1996 FA Cup 4th round
QPR 1 (Quashie) Chelsea 2 (Furlong, Peaco**)
Jan 5 2008 FA Cup 3rd round
Chelsea 1 (Camp og) QPR 0
The last 10 meetings between Chelsea and QPR Aug 29 1992
FAPL (h)
Chelsea won 1-0
Jan 27 1993
FAPL (a)
Drew 1-1
Aug 25 1993
FAPL (h)
Chelsea won 2-0
Apr 13 1994
FAPL (a)
Drew 1-1
Mar 221995
FAPL (a)
QPR won 1-0
Apr 29 1995
FAPL (h)
Chelsea won 1-0
Jan 2 1996
FAPL (a)
Chelsea won 2-1
Jan 29 1996
FAC (a)
Chelsea won 2-1
Mar 23 1996
FAPL (h)
Drew 1-1
Jan 5 2008
FAC (h)
Won 1-0
OUR MOST RECENT MEETINGChelsea 1 Queens Park Rangers 0
FA Cup third round, Saturday January 5th 2008 at Stamford Bridge
Referee Mike Dean
Crowd 41,289
Chelsea
Manager Avram Grant
Hilario
Ferreira Alex Ben-Haim A Cole (c)
Sidwell Mikel
Wright-Phillips Pizarro Sinclair
Kalou
Substitutes
Drogba for Sinclair (59), Ballack for Pizarro (71),
J Cole for Wright-Phillips (78)
Scorer Camp og (28)
Booked None
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buzsaky Blackstock
Ephraim Rowlands (c) Mahon Ainsworth
Barker Hall Stewart Connolly
Camp
Manager Luigi De Canio
QPR
Substitutes
Agyemang for Ainsworth (h/t), Lee for Buzsaky (50)
Balanta for Ephraim (65)
Booked Hall
Chelsea v QPR in all competitions
Games played47
Chelsea wins17
Rangers wins13
Draws17
Biggest win at Stamford Bridge for each team
Chelsea 3-1 QPR 02/05/1978 and 01/01/1987
Chelsea 0-3 QPR 28/12/1974
PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V QUEENS PARK RANGERS
CHELSEA STATS
Chelsea's next goal will be our 300th in the League Cup in our 170th match.
Chelsea won the League Cup in 1965, 1998, 2005 and 2007.
Last five seasons in the League Cup
2004/05
Winners
2005/06
3rd round
2006/07
Winners
2007/08
Runners-up
2008/09
4th round
Chelsea are unbeaten in 21 games at Stamford Bridge since losing to Arsenal in November 2008.
Last six results
Aug 18
Sunderland (a)
W 3-1
Aug 23
Fulham (a)
W 2-0
Aug 29
Burnley (h)
W 3-0
Sep 12
Stoke (a)
W 2-1
Sep 15
Porto (h)
W 1-0Champions League
Sep 20
Tottenham (h)
W 3-0
2009/10 scorers
Drogba 5, Anelka 3, Ballack 3, A Cole 2, Lampard 2 (1 pen), Carvalho 1, Deco 1, Malouda 1. Total 18.
MILESTONES
Frank Lampard needs one goal to become our clear fifth all-time scorer ahead of Jimmy Greaves. They both have scored 132 goals.
RANGERS STATS
QPR's cup results against top-flight teams since their relegation from the Premier League in 1996.
1997
FAC
Wimbledon (a) L 1-2
1998
LC
Charlton (h) L 0-2
1998
LC
Charlton (a) L 0-1
2001
FAC
Arsenal (h)L 0-6
2003
LC
Man City (h) L 0-3
2004
LC
Aston Villa (a) L 1-3
2006
FAC
Blackburn (a) L 0-3
2008
FAC
Chelsea (a) L 0-1
2008
LC
Aston Villa (a) W 1-0
2008
LC
Man Utd (a) L 0-1
Jim Magilton is Rangers' seventh full-time manager in the last three-and-a-half years.
QPR have lost one game in nine this term and are unbeaten in the last five.
Last five seasons in the League Cup
2004/05
2nd round
2005/06
1st round
2006/07
2nd round
2007/08
1st round
2008/09
4th round
Rangers have won the League Cup once in their history beating West Brom 3-2 in 1967. They were beaten finalists in 1986 to winners Oxford United.
Manager Jim Magilton
Days in charge: 112
Played 9
Won 4
Drawn 4
Lost 1
Coca-Cola Championship
P
GD
PTS
1
West Brom
8
13
20
2
Newcastle
8
9
19
3
Middlesbrough
8
5
16
4
Preston
8
6
15
5
Sheffield Utd
8
5
15
6
Cardiff
8
5
13
7
Blackpool
8
4
13
8
Watford
8
2
13
9
Leicester
8
2
13
10
Bristol City
8
0
13
11
Coventry
8
-1
11
12
QPR
7
2
10
MOST RECENT LINE-UP
Cardiff City 0 QPR 2
Coca-Cola Championship Saturday September 19, 2009
Cerny
Borrowdale Gorkss Stewart Leigertwood
Routledge Rowlands (c) Watson Buzsaky
Simpson Vine
Substitutes
Pellicori for Simpson (77), Agyemang for Vine (82),
Scorers Simpson (19, 40)
Booked Stewart, Pellicori
2009/10 results
Aug 8
Blackpool (h)
D 1-1
Aug 11
Exeter (a)
W 5-0League Cup first round
Aug 15
Plymouth (a)
D 1-1
Aug 18
Bristol City (a)
L 0-1
Aug 22
Nottingham Forest (h)
D 1-1
Aug 25
Accrington Stanley (h)
W 2-1League Cup second round
Aug 29
Sc**thorpe (a)
W 1-0
Sep 12
Peterborough (h)
D 1-1
Sep 15
Crystal Palace (h)
P - PWaterlogged pitch
Sep 19
Cardiff (a)
W 2-0
2009/10 scorers
Routledge 5, Ephraim 2, Simpson 2, Helguson 1, Leigertwood 1, Pellicori 1, Ramage 1, Taarabt 1. Total 14.
DAYS SINCE
Chelsea won the League Cup: 941
QPR won the League Cup: 15,534
Arsenal won a trophy: 1,586
Liverpool won a trophy: 1,137
WINDOW WATCH
Rangers' major completed summer transfers
In Alejandro Faurlin (Instituto Cordoba, £3.5m), Tom Heaton (Man Utd, loan), Alessandro Pellicori (Avellino, free), Jay Simpson (Arsenal, loan), Adel Taarabt (Tottenham, loan), Ben Watson (Wigan, loan).
Out Dexter Blackstock (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Lee Camp (Nottingham Forest, £100,000), Damien Delaney (Ipswich, undisclosed), Heidar Helguson (Watford, loan), Jordi Lopez (Swansea, free), Zesh Rehman (Bradford City, free),
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Mike Jones is in his second Select Group season but has never previously refereed a Chelsea match. His last QPR game was a goalless draw at Southampton in March.
OTHERWISE ENGAGED
There are no suspensions on either side. QPR's Ben Watson is cup-tied.
PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V QUEENS PARK RANGERS
WE HAVE HISTORY
Manager Jim Magilton played 12 times against Chelsea for Oxford United, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich (pictured below), ending on the winning side just once, when he scored for Oxford in a shock 3-1 FA Cup win at the Bridge in January 1991.
The Blues are hoping to extend our unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge against QPR to 12 games in all competitions. The full record is played 11, won seven, drawn four, lost none, goals scored 16, goals against six.
The two sides have only been drawn together once before in this competition, back in the days of Dixon-Speedie-Nevin and the notorious plastic of Loftus Road (the pitch, not the support).
In front of a full house of 27,000 Pat Nevin equalised Rangers' early strike from pesky John Byrne, the Scottish winger touching home a Colin Lee header from Jerry Murphy's corner. The Blues, though, were grateful for Gary Bannister's miss when one-on-one with Eddie Niedzwiecki, and Keith Dublin cleared another Byrne effort off the line. Kerry Dixon's late strike was ruled offside.
Chelsea went into the replay with some confidence, having only lost to Manchester Utd all season at the Bridge, but minus Dixon, injured in an FA Cup defeat by Liverpool at the weekend. The winners of the London derby would face the same Reds in a League Cup semi-final. The game, played in freezing conditions, was dominated by a Chelsea side lacking the cutting edge and remained a stalemate until extra time, when Alan McDonald stole in to head Rangers in front.
The killer second was controversial. While Chelsea poured forward for an equaliser Niedzwiecki was stretching the leg of prone cramp victim Micky Robinson. A few minutes later the Good Samaritan keeper fluffed a clearance straight to the Rangers midfielder he had assisted, who launched the ball 55 yards into an empty net to make it 2-0. Remember that one tonight.
Previous League Cup meetings
Quarter-final 22 Jan 1986 Loftus Road
QPR …………………1 Chelsea……………1
Byrne Nevin
Quarter-final replay 29 Jan 1986 Stamford Bridge
Chelsea………….0 QPR…….……………. 2 (after extra time)
Chelsea Niedzwiecki; Wood, Dublin (Hazard), Pates (c), Rougvie, Bumstead, Nevin, Spackman, McAllister, Speedie, Murphy.
QPR Barron; McDonald, Dawes, Neill, Wicks, Fillery, Robinson, James, Bannister, Byrne (M Allen), Fereday. Scorers: McDonald, Robinson
Other cup meetings
Feb 21 1970 FA Cup 6th round
QPR 2 (Venables pen, Bridges) Chelsea 4 (Webb, Osgood 3)
Jan 5 1974 FA Cup 3rd round
Chelsea 0 QPR 0
Jan 15 1974 FA Cup 3rd round replay
QPR 1 (Bowles) Chelsea 0
Jan 29 1996 FA Cup 4th round
QPR 1 (Quashie) Chelsea 2 (Furlong, Peaco**)
Jan 5 2008 FA Cup 3rd round
Chelsea 1 (Camp og) QPR 0
The last 10 meetings between Chelsea and QPR
Aug 29 1992
FAPL (h)
Chelsea won 1-0
Jan 27 1993
FAPL (a)
Drew 1-1
Aug 25 1993
FAPL (h)
Chelsea won 2-0
Apr 13 1994
FAPL (a)
Drew 1-1
Mar 221995
FAPL (a)
QPR won 1-0
Apr 29 1995
FAPL (h)
Chelsea won 1-0
Jan 2 1996
FAPL (a)
Chelsea won 2-1
Jan 29 1996
FAC (a)
Chelsea won 2-1
Mar 23 1996
FAPL (h)
Drew 1-1
Jan 5 2008
FAC (h)
Won 1-0
OUR MOST RECENT MEETING
Chelsea 1 Queens Park Rangers 0
FA Cup third round, Saturday January 5th 2008 at Stamford Bridge
Referee Mike Dean
Crowd 41,289
Chelsea
Manager Avram Grant
Hilario
Ferreira Alex Ben-Haim A Cole (c)
Sidwell Mikel
Wright-Phillips Pizarro Sinclair
Kalou
Substitutes
Drogba for Sinclair (59), Ballack for Pizarro (71),
J Cole for Wright-Phillips (78)
Scorer Camp og (28)
Booked None
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buzsaky Blackstock
Ephraim Rowlands (c) Mahon Ainsworth
Barker Hall Stewart Connolly
Camp
Manager Luigi De Canio
QPR
Substitutes
Agyemang for Ainsworth (h/t), Lee for Buzsaky (50)
Balanta for Ephraim (65)
Booked Hall
Chelsea v QPR in all competitions
Games played47
Chelsea wins17
Rangers wins13
Draws17
Biggest win at Stamford Bridge for each team
Chelsea 3-1 QPR 02/05/1978 and 01/01/1987
Chelsea 0-3 QPR 28/12/1974
PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V QUEENS PARK RANGERS
CHELSEA STATS
Chelsea's next goal will be our 300th in the League Cup in our 170th match.
Chelsea won the League Cup in 1965, 1998, 2005 and 2007.
Last five seasons in the League Cup
2004/05
Winners
2005/06
3rd round
2006/07
Winners
2007/08
Runners-up
2008/09
4th round
Chelsea are unbeaten in 21 games at Stamford Bridge since losing to Arsenal in November 2008.
Last six results
Aug 18
Sunderland (a)
W 3-1
Aug 23
Fulham (a)
W 2-0
Aug 29
Burnley (h)
W 3-0
Sep 12
Stoke (a)
W 2-1
Sep 15
Porto (h)
W 1-0Champions League
Sep 20
Tottenham (h)
W 3-0
2009/10 scorers
Drogba 5, Anelka 3, Ballack 3, A Cole 2, Lampard 2 (1 pen), Carvalho 1, Deco 1, Malouda 1. Total 18.
MILESTONES
Frank Lampard needs one goal to become our clear fifth all-time scorer ahead of Jimmy Greaves. They both have scored 132 goals.
RANGERS STATS
QPR's cup results against top-flight teams since their relegation from the Premier League in 1996.
1997
FAC
Wimbledon (a) L 1-2
1998
LC
Charlton (h) L 0-2
1998
LC
Charlton (a) L 0-1
2001
FAC
Arsenal (h)L 0-6
2003
LC
Man City (h) L 0-3
2004
LC
Aston Villa (a) L 1-3
2006
FAC
Blackburn (a) L 0-3
2008
FAC
Chelsea (a) L 0-1
2008
LC
Aston Villa (a) W 1-0
2008
LC
Man Utd (a) L 0-1
Jim Magilton is Rangers' seventh full-time manager in the last three-and-a-half years.
QPR have lost one game in nine this term and are unbeaten in the last five.
Last five seasons in the League Cup
2004/05
2nd round
2005/06
1st round
2006/07
2nd round
2007/08
1st round
2008/09
4th round
Rangers have won the League Cup once in their history beating West Brom 3-2 in 1967. They were beaten finalists in 1986 to winners Oxford United.
Manager Jim Magilton
Days in charge: 112
Played 9
Won 4
Drawn 4
Lost 1
Coca-Cola Championship
P
GD
PTS
1
West Brom
8
13
20
2
Newcastle
8
9
19
3
Middlesbrough
8
5
16
4
Preston
8
6
15
5
Sheffield Utd
8
5
15
6
Cardiff
8
5
13
7
Blackpool
8
4
13
8
Watford
8
2
13
9
Leicester
8
2
13
10
Bristol City
8
0
13
11
Coventry
8
-1
11
12
QPR
7
2
10
MOST RECENT LINE-UP
Cardiff City 0 QPR 2
Coca-Cola Championship Saturday September 19, 2009
Cerny
Borrowdale Gorkss Stewart Leigertwood
Routledge Rowlands (c) Watson Buzsaky
Simpson Vine
Substitutes
Pellicori for Simpson (77), Agyemang for Vine (82),
Scorers Simpson (19, 40)
Booked Stewart, Pellicori
2009/10 results
Aug 8
Blackpool (h)
D 1-1
Aug 11
Exeter (a)
W 5-0League Cup first round
Aug 15
Plymouth (a)
D 1-1
Aug 18
Bristol City (a)
L 0-1
Aug 22
Nottingham Forest (h)
D 1-1
Aug 25
Accrington Stanley (h)
W 2-1League Cup second round
Aug 29
Sc**thorpe (a)
W 1-0
Sep 12
Peterborough (h)
D 1-1
Sep 15
Crystal Palace (h)
P - PWaterlogged pitch
Sep 19
Cardiff (a)
W 2-0
2009/10 scorers
Routledge 5, Ephraim 2, Simpson 2, Helguson 1, Leigertwood 1, Pellicori 1, Ramage 1, Taarabt 1. Total 14.
DAYS SINCE
Chelsea won the League Cup: 941
QPR won the League Cup: 15,534
Arsenal won a trophy: 1,586
Liverpool won a trophy: 1,137
WINDOW WATCH
Rangers' major completed summer transfers
In Alejandro Faurlin (Instituto Cordoba, £3.5m), Tom Heaton (Man Utd, loan), Alessandro Pellicori (Avellino, free), Jay Simpson (Arsenal, loan), Adel Taarabt (Tottenham, loan), Ben Watson (Wigan, loan).
Out Dexter Blackstock (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Lee Camp (Nottingham Forest, £100,000), Damien Delaney (Ipswich, undisclosed), Heidar Helguson (Watford, loan), Jordi Lopez (Swansea, free), Zesh Rehman (Bradford City, free),
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Mike Jones is in his second Select Group season but has never previously refereed a Chelsea match. His last QPR game was a goalless draw at Southampton in March.
OTHERWISE ENGAGED
There are no suspensions on either side. QPR's Ben Watson is cup-tied.