Separated by just a single point and three places in the table, Queens Park Rangers welcome Swansea City to Loftus Road on Tuesday night for a mid-table Championship clash.

Julien Stephan’s side are without a win in three after a 2-0 defeat to London rivals Millwall, while the Swans suffered late heartbreak at the weekend, conceding a 90th-minute winner to Cameron Archer in a 2-1 loss.

Match preview

Queens Park Rangers ended the 2024-25 campaign in 15th place with 56 points, and while there is little left to play for this season, they can take encouragement from the fact they have already surpassed that tally with three games still to go.

The R’s have enjoyed a strong turnaround over the course of the season, briefly putting themselves in contention for a playoff push, but with the gap to the top six now standing at 11 points, their focus has shifted towards finishing as strongly as possible.

Stephan’s men have seemingly run out of steam at the business end of the season after a run of two draws and a defeat have ended their slim chances of a playoff finish. 

Should Queens Park Rangers want to improve on their season once again next year, tightening up defensively will be key.

Their 65 goals conceded is the second-worst return in the division, with only Sheffield Wednesday shipping more than them this season. 

© Imago / IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

Swansea City, meanwhile, make the trip from South Wales after being denied a fourth straight unbeaten result in dramatic fashion, conceding late on against Southampton’s Archer at the weekend.

That defeat means Vítor Matos’s side have now won just one of their last six matches, leaving them with only a top-half finish to play for heading into the final three fixtures.

However, their record of 16 wins from 43 Championship outings is notable, with no side currently in the bottom half having recorded more victories, underlining the potential within the squad ahead of next season.

The majority of those wins are thanks to their star striker up top, who may attract interest elsewhere in the summer.

Zan Vioptnik currently leads the way at the top of Championship top scorers charts and is a big reason why the Swans can enter their run-in without the threat of relegation looming. 

Matos’ men could enter the top half of the table, while leapfrogging their upcoming opponents in the process, before ending their season with trips to Norwich and a home fixture against Charlton on the final day.  

Queens Park Rangers Championship form:


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Swansea City Championship form:


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Team News

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Stéphan has the option to name an unchanged side after QPR came through their defeat at The Den without picking up any fresh injury concerns.

Ilias Chair has started just nine times this season and made an appearance off the bench for the first time since early December at the weekend, the Moroccan could come in from the start on Tuesday night.  

Striker Rumarn Burrell has also recently returned from a three-month absence, making two substitute appearances, and may be handed a long-awaited start alongside Chair.

Ziyad Larkeche, Jimmy Dunne, Koki Saito and Karamoko Dembele all remain in the treatment room for this one. 

As for the visiting side, they may be forced into changes ahead of their 44th league match of the season. 

Swansea, meanwhile, may be forced into at least one change after Gustavo Nunes required treatment late on last time out, and while he was able to continue, he could be rested as a precaution.

Matos will still be without the services of Josh Key, Ishe Samuels-Smith and Ethan Galbraith. 

Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:

Walsh; Mbengue, Edwards, Clarke-Salter, Norrington-Davies; Morgan, Varane; Chair, Vale, Smyth; Kone

Swansea City possible starting lineup:

Vigouroux; Parker, Cabango, Burgess, Tymon; Goncalo Franco, Stamenic; Cullen, Widell, Eom Ji-Sung; Vipotnik

We say: Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Swansea City

With both sides evenly matched and separated by just a point, this contest is likely to be a closely fought affair.

Neither team enters the clash in particularly strong form, and we expect that to be reflected in a hard-fought draw that keeps them level heading into the final stages of the season.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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