"Surprising" - QPR boss Marti Cifuentes drops Middlesbrough claim | OneFootball

Cifuentes hasn't been short of praise for Boro ahead of tonight's clash at Loftus Road, which looks set to be a fascinating encounter.

Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes has admitted that he is surprised Middlesbrough aren't higher in the Championship table.

Making these comments to QPR's media team, he also said that he believes Boro aren't getting what they deserve from some games and that they deserve to be higher up the division.

The R's come into this game needing a win after securing a couple of promising draws against Burnley and Sunderland, with those results giving the West London side something to build on.

However, they face another difficult assignment this evening, with Boro showing some real promise at times this season.

Unfortunately for Michael Carrick's side, they haven't been consistent enough to challenge at the top end of the division, and they suffered another setback on Saturday when they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Coventry City.

With their heavy loss on Saturday in mind, they may not be too full of confidence heading into their clash at Loftus Road this evening, which may not be an easy tie despite the R's struggles this season.

The top-of-the-table Black Cats came close to scoring a couple of times in the first half, with Wilson Isidor missing a chance and Dan Neil hitting the post, but they had to hang on for a point in the end after Jobe Bellingham's dismissal.

This is a warning to Boro that tonight's assignment won't be a simple task.

Marti Cifuentes on Middlesbrough ahead of QPR clash

Cifuentes has talked up his team's opponents ahead of tonight, despite their defeat against Coventry at the weekend.

He said: "Middlesbrough is a team that is very good.

"They are getting less than probably they deserve because they are playing really well, they are attacking a lot, they are creating a lot of chances, they are not conceding much.

"When you look at the table perhaps it is a bit surprising they are not much higher.

"They have got quality players and when we have been watching the games, it is a very good team in terms of the way they build up and the quality players they have got in many areas.

"It is going to be a difficult game. They are much better than the table shows. At the same time, the way that we played in the last three games shows that we are able to compete against anyone."

Middlesbrough will be a difficult opponent for QPR

Boro have a great squad on paper and they should be able to provide QPR with a difficult challenge this evening.

They may not have the players that they did during the 2022/23 season, with Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer firing them into the play-offs.

But they still have some players who can make a real impact at this level, including Finn Azaz, Riley McGree, Tommy Conway and Emmanuel Latte Lath.

It's a shame for them that Hayden Hackney won't be available, but others could step up in his place, including Dan Barlaser and Jonny Howson, so Hackney's absence shouldn't affect them too much despite his obvious quality.

They are a dangerous opponent that QPR will need to play well against.