QPR hit Swansea for five but have not won away in four. Southampton are next.
Julien Stephan's side beat Swansea 5-0 last time out, which The Hard Tackle's preview says ended a five-match run without a clean sheet. It is a big result to bring to a ground where the home side keeps winning.
QPR's away form before St Mary's
Away from home, they have not won in four. Three of those ended as draws and the other was a 3-0 defeat at Birmingham City.
Saints Marching's preview calls QPR the league's joint-best defence, which sits oddly beside that five-game spell without a clean sheet.
Southampton's own record at St Mary's is probably the best indicator of both teams' comparative form. Eckert's side have taken 16 points from 18 at home, the best home return in the division by far.
Southampton sit sixth, and The Hard Tackle's preview says they would be second without the four-point deduction. They have taken ten points from their last four games but scored only five goals in doing so, so another quick start would not hurt anybody at St Mary's.
Think about the first twenty minutes. A side with no away wins in a month does not want to chase the game, and Southampton went ahead very early at West Ham last Saturday, as Saints Marching's winners and losers column recorded.
Stephan's injury list
The better news for QPR is from the treatment table. Ilias Chair and Alfie Lloyd have both resumed training, and the72 reports they are expected to be involved.
Boy Kemper missed early sessions this week, yet Stephan says he "will be OK". Jake Clarke-Salter is in doubt after missing the Swansea game, and Rumarn Burrell and Nicolas Madsen are still out.
Dennis Cirkin is available again after suspension. Karamoko Dembele is back from injury but, per The Hard Tackle, is likely to start on the bench.
Southampton have their own checks to pass. Eckert is "quite positive" that Cyle Larin and Flynn Downes will be fit, according to Saints Marching, and Lewis Dobbin looks the man to lead the line if Larin does not pass.
So what does Stephan do with a side that scored five last week and has not won on its travels for a month? Keep the Swansea XI, probably, and hope Chair, who has two goals and an assist in six games this season, finds a spark.
QPR have the form and Southampton have the ground. Something gives on Saturday afternoon at St Mary's.
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