Match Preview: QPR v Brentford | OneFootball

Brentford's second pre-season fixture of the 2025/26 campaign comes against west London rivals Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Saturday (3pm kick-off BST).

It is the first time the Bees will face QPR for over four years, with the Championship side also heading into the campaign with a new manager in Julien Stéphan.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the fixture.

Pre-match analysis

Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Set-pieces could be key in pre-season derby clash

West London bragging rights are on the line as Brentford make the short trip across the capital to face QPR this Saturday for what promises to be an entertaining pre-season clash between two clubs under new management.

The Bees enter the contest fresh from a pre-season trip to Portugal, which allowed head coach Keith Andrews some quality time with his squad and featured a 1-1 friendly draw against Gil Vicente last Friday.

Brazilian striker Igor Thiago opened his pre-season account with a tap-in from Mikkel Damsgaard's cross to hint at a productive partnership in the making and Andrews afterwards declared himself "really pleased" with his side's overall display.

Unofficial debuts for Caoimhín Kelleher, Jordan Henderson and Antoni Milambo, along with Aaron Hickey's return after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, were among the biggest positives to take from the warm-up fixture in northern Portugal, and the Bees will now aim to take further strides forward at Loftus Road this weekend.

After two seasons under new Leicester City manager Martí Cifuentes, QPR appointed Stéphan in June and after stints in the dugout at Rennes and Strasbourg in Ligue 1, the 44-year-old has a promising squad at his disposal as he readies the Hoops for the 2025/26 Championship season.

Signed from Burton Albion this week, striker Rumarn Burrell will have to adjust to the new level, but 11 league goals in 2025 for the Brewers showed that the Jamaica international knows where the back of the net is, and Kwame Poku (12 goals and 10 assists in all competitions for Peterborough last season) has consistently supplied goals, in addition to scoring them himself, at League One level.

Former Celtic wonderkid Karamoko Dembele, meanwhile, has been one of the Hoops' best performers in pre-season and ranked second among his team-mates for assists last season, with four, despite missing large chunks of the campaign through injury.

A snapshot of QPR's 2024/25 stats highlights a need for a reliable goalscorer (Michael Frey was their top marksman in the Championship with eight goals) and a tendency to ship goals, particularly on their own patch (only relegated Plymouth Argyle - 39 - conceded more goals at home than the Hoops - 34).

That said, the Rs ranking third in the division for goals from substitutes hinted at the breadth of their attacking options, and their prowess from set-pieces was underlined by the fact that only four teams scored more Championship goals from corners, throw-ins and free-kicks last term - something Brentford also focus heavily on.

With 'elite' academy graduates such as Harvey Vale and Esquerdinha - who came through at Chelsea and Fluminense respectively - seemingly primed for breakthrough seasons, QPR have a wave of young talent coming through, and it will be interesting to see how they match up against Premier League opposition in what will be the Hoops' final preparation game before their Championship opener against Preston North End on 9 August.

Scout report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: QPR approaching new campaign with 'cautious optimism'

Before the 2024/25 campaign, QPR had finished in the top half of the Championship just three times in nine seasons following relegation from the Premier League.

In 2023/24, they had finished just six points above the drop zone, the same gap as the season before that - and, for the first four months of last season, a worse finish looked very much on the cards. One win in the first 16 league games left them bottom, already cut five points adrift.

“The club knows very well, since the summer, there are areas I think we need to improve,” said head coach Martí Cifuentes after a draw at home to Stoke on 23 November. “I’m here as a coach trying to do my best.”

The shocking start was a wake-up call, and one his players responded to. They won eight of the next 12 to move into midtable. It was a period that, in hindsight - given a huge dip in results thereafter - saved their season.

Such consistency in results never returned, and the lingering chances of relegation stuck around until the final weeks of the season. It was only on 18 April, following a 2-1 comeback win at Preston, that those fears were eased altogether.

But in the days leading up to the final game of the season, away at Sunderland, QPR announced Cifuentes - who had been linked with the vacant managerial role at West Brom - had been placed on gardening leave.

“This is, naturally, a disappointing situation for everyone concerned,” said CEO Christian Nourry in a statement posted on the club’s official website.

“I fully understand and appreciate supporters’ frustrations at this time. As a club, we are working to ensure this matter is resolved as swiftly as possible so we can start preparations in earnest for the future.”

His assistants, Kevin Betsy and Xavi Calm, took charge of the trip to the Stadium of Light, which Rangers won 1-0.

On 24 June, Cifuentes’ departure was confirmed and, the following day, Stéphan was appointed head coach on a two-year contract.

“Julien’s appointment is the fruit of an extensive process that was undertaken by key club figures to identify, evaluate and recruit a coach that understands the club’s football philosophy and is energised by it,” said Nourry.

Since then, QPR have signed players including Poku from Peterborough United, Amadou Mbengue from Reading, and Burrell from Burton Albion, but they had already given new contracts to Steve Cook, Sam Field, Frey and Jimmy Dunne and, most recently, Ziyad Larkeche.

There will be cautious optimism that they will not be raided for their prized assets, either, in the final month of the transfer window, so a squad with potential will have the chance to prove they are better than one that has, recently, been in a perpetual relegation battle.

In the Dugout

Julien Stéphan

Stéphan had a 10-year career as a player, which took in spells at Paris Saint-Germain B, Toulouse, RC Paris, Stade Briochin and Drouais, between 1998 and 2008. It is in management, mostly at hometown club Rennes, that he has made a name for himself, however.

Between 2012 and 2015, he coached Les Rennais’ Under-19s, before stepping up to Rennes B in July 2015. There, he guided the team to a fifth-tier title win in 2015/16 and a fourth-tier title win in 2016/17.

Following the sacking of Sabri Lamouchi - who went on to manage Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City - in December 2018, Stéphan took over on an interim basis, but was appointed permanently within a fortnight, following Ligue 1 wins over Lyon and Dijon and a 2-0 win over Astana, which secured Rennes’ progress to the Europa League knockout stages.

Stéphan’s side won the Coupe de France in 2019, denying PSG a fifth-straight triumph.

He resigned in March 2021 and took over at Strasbourg four months later, but returned to Rennes in November 2023, spending just shy of another year at the club.

Six months later, on June 25 2025, Stéphan signed a two-year deal to replace Martí Cifuentes at QPR.

The Gameplan

With Jon Harland, sports editor at Hounslow Herald

Jon Harland, sports editor at Hounslow Herald, has explained what Keith Andrews' side can expect from Queens Park Rangers.

"Generally, it is similar to the previous manager, in a way," said Harland.

"Instead of going for something completely different, they have definitely stuck to the possession-based model, which is what they're going for. It will be attractive football, playing out from the back.

"With Stéphan, he is slightly more dynamic and there is slightly more emphasis on attacking, with a high intensity, so it will be interesting to see against an established Premier League club like Brentford whether he will be as gung-ho or he will get the players to sit back a bit.

"In terms of shape, it looks like a 4-2-3-1, with two holders and wide players going forward, with attractive, quite fast football."

Read our full interview with Jon Harland here.

Match Officials

West London derby appointment for Ward

Referee: Gavin Ward

Assistants: Ian Cooper and Lee Venamore

Fourth official: Paul Yates

Gavin Ward will be in charge of Saturday's pre-season friendly against QPR.

The Surrey-based referee oversaw 30 games last term, with 25 of those in the Championship alongside one apiece in League One, League Two, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and FA Youth Cup.

Ward has been the man in the middle for 20 competitive Brentford fixtures previously, with his first coming in March 2008 when the Bees lost 2-1 against Peterborough United at Griffin Park in League Two.

Memorable Meeting

QPR 1 Brentford 3, (Championship, 28 October 2019)

An Ollie Watkins brace sandwiched an emphatic Saïd Benrahma penalty as Brentford defeated west London rivals QPR 3-1 at Loftus Road.

The Bees took a deserved lead on 23 minutes, when Watkins' header from a Bryan Mbeumo cross squeezed under Liam Kelly.

Grant Hall powered home an Eberechi Eze corner early in the second half to level proceedings, but Benhrama blasted home his spot-kick, after Mbeumo had been bundled over, to restore Brentford's lead.

In the final minute of stoppage time, Watkins passed into the net from close range after Mathias Jensen had squared the ball to seal the three points and bragging rights.