Queens Park Rangers vs Cardiff City preview

England flag 2026/2027 Championship, England
MATRADE Loftus Road
Championship
KICKOFF :
Round 4 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Queens Park Rangers prepare to host Cardiff City at MATRADE Loftus Road during the Championship regular season of 2026/2027. Currently fifth in the domestic table, the hosts hold a notable edge in overall team strength. Cardiff City occupy twelfth position and seek to close the gap with a resilient away display. Power metrics place the home side ahead by a margin of 19.4 points, underlining their favored status. Both clubs lack details from their most recent outings, leaving some questions about current momentum. The fixture unfolds at a venue known for its passionate atmosphere, which often shapes early tempo. League standings suggest a contest between mid-table ambition and upper-half consistency.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Queens Park Rangers occupy fifth place in the Championship while Cardiff City sit twelfth.
  • Form: The home side enters with a form score of 31.56 against the visitors' 9.22.
  • Squad: Queens Park Rangers stand as the stronger team with a power score of 70.07 compared to 50.68.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency data for the fixture remains unavailable at present.
  • Transition: Transition metrics are not provided in the current dataset.
  • Set pieces: Set piece performance indicators carry low confidence with proxy data in use.
  • xVariable: A power advantage of 19.4 points tilts toward the home team.
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
1.14
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1
0.83 i
Last 6 Opponents
Blackburn Rovers Rank: 73 D
Bolton Wanderers Rank: 72 D
Portsmouth Rank: 73 W
Ipswich Town Rank: 83 L
Derby County Rank: 73 L
Swansea City Rank: 73 L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1 i
Last 6 Opponents
Sheffield United Rank: 75 D
Derby County Rank: 73 D
Wrexham Rank: 76 D
1
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
1 - 1 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
70.07
50.68
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Queens Park Rangers
Cardiff City
Power Score
70.07
50.68
League Position
5
12
Global Rank
246
154

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

vs
Queens Park Rangers Opponent-weighted form score
Cardiff City Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Queens Park Rangers Cardiff City

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 2 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Queens Park Rangers QPR Home
2 matches
Cardiff City CDF Away
Match Record
1
Wins
0
1
Draws
1
0
Losses
1
Goals
2
Goals Scored
0
0
Goals Conceded
2
+2
Goal Difference
-2
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-08-27T01:13:29+00:00

General Information

Date & Time
Competition
2026/2027 Championship, England · Round 4 · Regular Season
Stadium
MATRADE Loftus Road
Capacity
18500
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Samuel Lewis
George Byrne
Richard Eley

Squad

Referee : Tim Robinson

Squad

13
Callum Ward
Callum Ward Goalkeeper
1
Pierce Charles
Pierce Charles Goalkeeper
6
Jake Clarke-Salter
12
Boy Kemper
Boy Kemper Defender
3
Jimmy Dunne
Jimmy Dunne Defender
48
Tariq Lamptey
Tariq Lamptey Defender
Dennis Cirkin
Dennis Cirkin Defender
4
Liam Morrison
Liam Morrison Defender
5
Ronnie Edwards
Ronnie Edwards Defender
27
Amadou Salif Mbengue
2
Kealey Adamson
Kealey Adamson Defender
18
Glen Kamara
Glen Kamara Midfielder
10
Ilias Chair
Ilias Chair Midfielder
20
Harvey Vale
Harvey Vale Midfielder
40
Jonathan Varane
Jonathan Varane Midfielder
11
Paul Smyth
Paul Smyth Attacker
14
Koki Saito
Koki Saito Attacker
16
Rumarn Burrell
Rumarn Burrell Attacker
17
Kwame Poku
Kwame Poku Attacker
15
Alfie Lloyd
Alfie Lloyd Attacker
22
Richard Kone
Richard Kone Attacker
Referee : Tim Robinson

Squad

1
Nathan Trott
Nathan Trott Goalkeeper
30
Harry Tyrer
Harry Tyrer Goalkeeper
41
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner Goalkeeper
38
Perry Ng
Perry Ng Defender
4
Gabriel Osho
Gabriel Osho Defender
3
Joel Bagan
Joel Bagan Defender
23
Callum Scanlon
Callum Scanlon Defender
44
Ronan Kpakio
Ronan Kpakio Defender
14
David Turnbull
David Turnbull Midfielder
10
Rubin Colwill
Rubin Colwill Midfielder
18
Alexander Robertson
Alexander Robertson Midfielder
8
Jack Moylan
Jack Moylan Midfielder
27
Joel Colwill
Joel Colwill Midfielder
47
Callum Robinson
Callum Robinson Attacker
16
Chris Willock
Chris Willock Attacker
39
Isaak Davies
Isaak Davies Attacker
11
Ollie Tanner
Ollie Tanner Attacker
45
C. Ashford
C. Ashford Attacker
9
Yousef Salech
Yousef Salech Attacker

CONCLUSION

Queens Park Rangers enter this Championship clash with clear advantages in positioning and overall rating. Their fifth-place standing reflects steady progress through the early fixtures. Cardiff City must overcome a lower form rating and a deficit in team strength to secure a positive result away from home. The Loftus Road environment may further tilt proceedings in favor of the hosts during key moments. Limited recent performance data adds uncertainty for both coaching staffs ahead of kickoff. Expect the home side to control territory while the visitors search for openings on the counter.