USMNT star issues warning as Leeds United faces a dangerous QPR challenge | OneFootball

In the EFL Championship, which is one of the world's most competitive divisions, everything counts when determining the fate of a team. Queens Park Rangers welcomes Leeds United this Saturday in a game that's worth more than three points; it has an enormous psychological burden for both teams.

On one hand, Leeds comes into the game high on confidence after a breathtaking win over Millwall that not only restored confidence in the team but also saw the Whites back at the top of the table. Opposite them, QPR is in desperate need to recover from a string of losses that have exposed the team's vulnerabilities over the last few weeks. But anyone thinking this match is sewn up may be forgetting something very significant, Loftus Road is never a happy hunting ground for Leeds.

Leeds are favourites, but they must show it

If Leeds United are to show anything in this match, it is consistency. The win over Millwall was a knee-jerk response to the infuriating loss at Portsmouth, but their away form in recent times is still in doubt. They hadn't lost two consecutive away matches since December 2023, and not doing so will be crucial if the believers wish to have faith in Daniel Farke's vision.

Their last London visit was not so memorable. Since they thrashed QPR 3-1 in December 2017, Leeds have lost 24 matches in 31 league games played in the English capital. This statistic heavily speaks and may shape the mentality of the team. To turn around such a trend, Leeds must start aggressively from the very first minute, demonstrating their technical edge and blocking QPR from finding their way into the game.

USMNT young star and one of the squad's top performers Brenden Aaronson made it forcefully clear that Leeds' mindset is all about intensity.

"We came back from our defeats, and I think that indicates the kind of team we are. We did not score a lot of goals, but we completely dominated the game and could have scored even more."

That dominance Aaronson mentioned needs to turn into goals. After all, one of Leeds’ biggest struggles this season has been exactly that, creating chances hasn’t been the issue, but finishing them has.

"I think we know we're going to need to be absolutely focused on the game and give 100 percent effort in order to win. You go out there with a plan of what to do. You know it's going to be a tough game. We know what we have to do. Everyone has to dig deep. Everyone has to show that on the pitch. And I think when we do, our class will show through, and we'll play a good game."

QPR must turn Loftus Road into a Leeds nightmare

Queens Park Rangers come into this game with the pressure turned up. With four straight losses, Martí Cifuentes' side must move fast to avoid slipping further down the table. The team is at 14th in the table, 12 points away from the playoffs and nine above the drop zone. That puts QPR in an awkward spot, their season can slide into a futile mid-table season or full-blown crisis very fast if things are not righted soon.

But QPR do possess one all-suffusing reason for optimism, their home record against Leeds in recent times. QPR have won all five of their last six league matches at Loftus Road and even kept a clean sheet in all those wins. Their latest 4-0 win was even in April the last year when there was even a mind-boggling point difference of 40 between both teams on the league standings.

Martí Cifuentes believes that his team can turn things around, and what he stated prior to the match conveyed the faith that he has within the team.

"What really happened at the start of the year led me to the team that we are now. We realize that players know that we are able to beat this bad moment because we've done it already."

If ever QPR were to prove its metal, now is the time. To play against a side with a woeful record in London might just be the perfect opportunity to put things right.