QPR Look at Southampton...Southampton Look at QPR

-
QPR Official Site - THE FRIDAY PREVIEW: SAINTS
By their own exceptionally high standards, Southampton have rather flattered to deceive in the opening few weeks of the new Coca Cola Championship campaign.
After falling at the Play-Off semi-final hurdle last season, George Burley's Saints' were many pundits' favourites to go one better and clinch promotion back to the Promised Land of the Premiership this season.
Only time will tell if that is the case, but if the evidence so far is anything to go by, Southampton could yet again be the bridesmaids, as opposed to the bride.
An opening day 4-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace set the alarm bells ringing for everyone at St Mary's and when League Two side Peterborough United dumped them out of the Carling Cup two days later, Burley was already under pressure.
The high-profile summer exits of Gareth Bale and Chris Baird have hardly helped Burley's cause, and with the on-off saga surrounding Kenwyne Jones continuing to rear its ugly head, Southampton succumbed to a 2-1 loss at Norwich City in their second Championship fixture.
But every cloud has a silver lining and a 3-2 victory against Stoke City last time out eventually got them up and running.
Ex-Saints forward Ricardo Fuller got on the end of Mamady Sidibe's flick to gave Stoke an early lead, but Andrew Surman's fine strike levelled matters.
A Grzegorz Rasiak header put Saints ahead and four minutes later John Viafara looked to have sealed the win.
But they were left hanging on when a Jon Parkin header made the score 3-2 with eight minutes to go.
In a dramatic twist in the days leading upto their visit to W12, Jones eventually made his expected departure from St Mary's to sign for Sunderland, while Trinidad & Tobago front-man Stern John moved in the opposite direction.
STAR MAN: Grzegorz RASIAK
Southampton swooped to sign hit-man Grzegorz Rasiak in February 2006, after his failed spell at Premiership giants Tottenham Hotspur.
After impressing during his fourth month loan spell on the South Coast, Saints paid Spurs £2 million, with the giant Pole signing a four-year deal, prior to linking up with the Polish World Cup squad.
Rasiak enjoyed a productive first season on the South Coast, scoring 21 goals in all competitions.
ODDS: QPR 7/5 Draw 11/5 Saints 13/8 QPR

QPR Official Site BARKER AVAILABLE
Summer signing Chris Barker is available for selection against Southampton this weekend.
The R's left back, who joined the Club on a free transfer from Cardiff City, has completed his four match suspension and provides Manager John Gregory with a potential selection headache for the Coca Cola Championship fixture against the Saints.
Ben Sahar resumed full training on Monday after his appendix operation and is in line to return to the squad, while new signing Mikele Leigertwood could also feature.
On the downside, Gareth Ainsworth (ankle), Pat Kanyuka (thigh) and Simon Walton (fibula) are all still sidelined.
For Saints, Chris Makin is expected to replace ankle injury victim Darren Powell, but Rudi Skacel and Claus Lundekvam are unlikely to feature.
Despite the arrival of striker Stern John from Sunderland, Bradley Wright-Phillips again seems likely to partner Grzegorz Rasiak in attack. QPR

Southampton Official Site
George Burley believes it will take at least a dozen games for the Coca-Cola Championship to take shape.
Although Saints are at the wrong end of the table, the manager pays no attention to the rankings this early in the campaign.
With only three league games played, it is still way too early for the table to take shape and Burley prefers to look at performances more than points.
Although his side found it hard going on the opening day, they have steadily improved and with two new signings this week, they are upwardly mobile.
Burley said: "We have played only three games. We have had one poor performances, two good ones we have three points.
"Obviously we would like more points but it is still very early days and we are still finding our feet.
"We have had to changes things around. We have lost a few players over the summer and brought a few in and we are still settling down.
"Three games is not a start. No-one is flying at the top of the table and teams are still jostling for position.
"You can't judge the table after three games, everyone is still finding their feet.
"I don't think you can really get a picture until after a dozen or so games - that's when you can look at where teams are."
Today Saints go for a second successive win at QPR and will include two new faces in their ranks.
Stern John and Jason Euell both joined on free transfers this week from Sunderland and Middlesbrough respectively.
But after last week's impressive display against Stoke, it is thought both are set to be on the bench.
The only changes are likely to be in defence and enforced by injury to Darren Powell (ankle) and Rudi Skacel (knee). Chris Makin and Gregory Vignal are lined up to deputise.
QPR have added Mikele Leigertwood from Sheffield United but their day will be dominated by tributes to striker Ray Jones who was killed in a car crash last week.
QPR: (from) Camp, Rehman, Curtis, Stewart, Mancienne, Moore, Bolder, Ephraim, Rowlands, Blackstock, Nardiello, Cole, Leigertwood, Cullip, Bignot, Ward, Nygaard.
Saints: (from) Davis, Wright Thomas, Makin, Vingal, Dyer, Viafara, Safri, Surman, Rasiak, Wright-Phillips, Saganowski, John, Euell, Ostlund,Hammill, Bennett, Licka, Bialkowski. Southampton