Premier League preview: QPR v Aston Villa

Aston Villa s unbeaten start to the English Premier League season will be put to the test when they travel to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.

Villa have not lost in the league under Alex McLeish this season, with one win and four draws from their opening five matches.

However, despite their unbeaten status, Villa s start could have been much better had they not let leads slip in their past two matches a 2-2 draw at Everton and a 1-1 result at home against Newcastle.

They also failed to produce in their Carling Cup clash against Bolton on Tuesday, going down 2-0 at Villa Park, a result which midfielder Barry Bannan said they need to respond to quickly.

We have to take that and try and bounce back and show them we are good enough and we want that to start this weekend, Bannan told Villa s official website.

We re out of the cup now and it s vital we now look forward and aim to bounce back, starting on Sunday against QPR.

We, as a group, have the character and ability to bounce back. You look around the changing room and there s a great bunch of players in there who are looking to shine now.

Gabriel Agbonlahor has been the star for Villa so far this season with three goals, and has formed a solid partnership with Darren Bent up front.

After being thrashed 4-0 on the opening day, things have turned around for Premier League newboys QPR, who sit ninth on the table with seven points.

New signings Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jay Bothroyd and Danny Gabbidon have fitted in seamlessly alongside regulars Adel Taarabt and Shaun Derry, much to the delight of manager Neil Warnock and the QPR faithful.

Although Rob Hulse and Kieron Dyer are both sidelined with injury, QPR scored a resounding 3-0 win away at Wolves last week, and new striker Bothroyd is keen to build on that momentum against Villa.

They re (Aston Villa) a really good side, with a good Manager in charge, Bothroyd told QPR s official website.

We re once again playing at Loftus Road, so we want to impose our game on them. We want to make it a tough place for away teams to come.

The two teams have not met in the Premier League since QPR s last stint in the top flight back in 1996.

The last meeting between the two was in the third round of the Carling Cup in 2008, with QPR triumphing 1-0 at Villa Park.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *