Blackpool v QPR RECAP: Updates from Bloomfield Road

“They’ve had a very good start to the season,” QPR boss Mark Warburton said.

“Neil Critchley has done really well there in terms of the promotion. Teams who come up always pose you problems because they know how to win.

“They have togetherness, unity and a tremendous work ethic. They press hard and are very good at what they do.

“There is no doubt that this will be a very tough challenge – even though it’s one we’re looking forward to.

“They have a loud, vocal crowd – it’s a difficult place to go to and we have to meet the challenge.”

“We were disappointed to lose on Wednesday night and rightly so, but we were more than a match for a good Championship club with a really good squad and aspirations of playing in the Premier League.

“Similar to Stoke, QPR started very well. They didn’t quite sustain it but have picked up again recently.

“They have very good attacking players and are one of the highest-scoring teams.

“What a great challenge for us against teams like this, who have a really good way of playing. It’s at home and live on Sky, so let’s go for it and try to put on a show for the viewers.”

The Seasiders will be without Luke Garbutt, who suffered a knee injury towards the end of Wednesday night’s 1-0 defeat to Stoke City.

The left-back is due to undergo a scan to reveal the full severity of the knock.

Elsewhere, defenders Richard Keogh and Dujon Sterling will both be assessed before a decision is made over their availability.

Keogh was forced to hobble off with an achilles strain against the Potters, but Neil Critchley doesn’t believe the problem is a serious one.

Sterling, meanwhile, recently took a knock to his quad, but could be in contention if he comes through training unscathed.

If Keogh is unavailable, Critchley will have a conundrum on his hands over who to partner Marvin Ekpiteta in the centre of defence.

James Husband moved from left-back into the centre on Wednesday night when Keogh came off, but he’s likely to remain on the left-hand side given Garbutt’s absence.

The likes of Daniel Gretarsson, Oliver Casey and Callum Connolly will all be pushing to stake a claim for that spot should it become available.

Chris Maxwell (torn quad), Matty Virtue (ACL), Grant Ward (achilles) and Shayne Lavery (hamstring) all remained sidelined.

Blackpool will be looking to get back on the horse after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Stoke City on Wednesday night, which brought an end to their three-game winning run.

Despite the setback, Neil Critchley’s side are stil in fabulous form, having won seven of their last 11 games.

It leaves the Seasiders in 10th place and just a point adrift of the play-off spots.

A win today would see Pool leaprog their opponents QPR, who sit one point ahead of them in fifth.

Mark Warburton’s side, who are among the highest scorers in the division, have won two of their last six, drawn two and lost two.

This evening’s game, the first Blackpool game to be televised so far this season, is their final fixture before the November international break.

And welcome to today’s live blog.

The Sky Sports cameras are in town tonight for Blackpool’s Championship encounter against Queens Park Rangers, which kicks off at the later time of 5.30pm at Bloomfield Road.

Can Neil Critchley’s men get back to winning ways after their midweek setback? Or will it be a second straight disappointment in their final game before the international break?

Follow the blog for all the build-up, team news and live updates.