QPR suffer frustrating double blow ahead of Charlton Athletic | OneFootball

QPR will be without Karamoko Dembele and Justin Obikwu when they travel to take on Charlton Athletic on Friday night.

QPR will be without Karamoko Dembele and Justin Obikwu when they face London rivals Charlton Athletic at The Valley on Friday night.

The R’s got back to winning ways on Saturday after a brilliant comeback victory against leaders Coventry City, a result which leaves them four points away from the play-off places.

So, Julien Stephan will be hoping his team can build on that against the Addicks, who are battling to stay in the second tier following their promotion last season.

QPR injury update provided ahead of Charlton Athletic clash

Therefore, QPR will fancy their chances against Charlton, but they will go into the game dealing with a growing injury list.

That’s after West London Sport confirmed that Dembele and Obikwu will miss out with problems, although it’s unclear at the moment how long the duo will be out.

It’s no surprise that Dembele is going to miss out, as the attacking midfielder was forced off in the first half of the win against the Sky Blues, and the update states that Stephan has confirmed the player is still being assessed, with more information on the problem expected in the next 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Obikwu is yet to make his debut for QPR since his move from Coventry, and the report claims Stephan is ‘unsure’ about when the striker will be available.

The duo join the likes of Ilias Chair and Kwame Poku in the treatment room, with Daniel Bennie replacing Dembele on Saturday, so the youngster will be pushing for a place in the XI, with Rayan Kolli another option for Stephan.

Julien Stephan needs QPR squad to step up as they chase top six finish

It has been a decent season for QPR so far, and as we approach the final third of the campaign, the R’s are firmly in the hunt to finish in the play-off places.

Stephan and the players deserve credit for being in this position, and it’s now about kicking on and trying to have a positive end.

Whether QPR did enough in the January window is open to debate, but with the window now shut, Stephan knows the group he is working with, and he will still feel he has enough quality at his disposal.

Clearly, if they are missing Dembele and Obikwu for an extended period, it will be a big blow, particularly with the other attacking players who are out.

But, that does create an opportunity for others to step in, and it will be interesting to see the XI that the Frenchman picks against Charlton, in what is a big game for both clubs.