Sir Alex Ferguson has seen Queens Park Rangers remove Mark
Hughes on the eve of their trip to Old Trafford and now believes
even more that a win against the bottom club should be regulation,
especially as there is not yet a Harry Redknapp or any other
permanent successor to provide the 'bounce' factor that can often
lift players after a managerial sacking. Instead, Mark Bowen and
Eddie Niedzwiecki, Hughes' long-term lieutenants, take charge
against United, who have lost their last two in all competitions.
This all points to a home rout.
Venue Old Trafford, Saturday 11pm
Tickets £30-52 (0161 868 8000)
Last season Man Utd 2 QPR 0
Referee Lee Probert
This season's matches 7 Y23,
R1, 3.43 cards per game
Odds Man Utd 2-9 QPR 16-1 Draw 6-1
Subs from Johnstone, Lindegaard, Bébé, Giggs,
Büttner, Welbeck, Powell, Jones, Macheda, Henríquez, Fletcher,
Cleverley, Anderson, Hernández, Wootton, Evans
Doubtful Evans (groin), Smalling (shoulder)
Injured Nani (hamstring, 1 Dec), Kagawa (knee,
9 Dec), Vidic (knee, 15 Dec)
Suspended None
Form guide LWWWWW
Disciplinary record Y20 R0
Leading scorer Van Persie 8
Subs from Cerny, Green, Murphy, Derry, Hill,
Park, Wright-Phillips, Mackie, Dyer, Ephraim, Harriman, Ehmer,
Mbia, Magri
Doubtful Ephraim (hamstring), Park (knee)
Injured Bosingwa (illness, 1 Dec), Zamora (hip,
Jan), Johnson (knee, Mar)
Unavailable Da Silva (terms of loan)
Suspended None
Form guide LLDLDL
Disciplinary record Y19 R2
Leading scorer Zamora 3
• United have won 10 and lost none of their past 13
meetings with QPR in league and cup
• Mark Hughes was the manager in the first Premier
League game where a player scored a hat-trick
against United (David Bentley in a 4-3 win for Blackburn in
February 2006)
• United are yet to draw a league game this season, only
four teams in Premier League history have not drawn any of their
first 13 matches (including Bolton last season)
• QPR have taken just three points from the past 57
available in Premier League away matches
• United have the best conversion rate this season,
scoring with 14.9% of their shots while QPR (7.6%) have the
worst