Jon Harland, Hounslow Herald: How QPR will approach Brentford clash | OneFootball

Following some interesting summer signings, Queens Park Rangers fans are excited for next season in the Championship, explains Hounslow Herald sports editor Jon Harland.

QPR host Brentford at Loftus Road on Saturday (3pm kick-off BST) in their final pre-season fixture before opening their league campaign against Preston North End the following weekend.

The Bees, who drew 1-1 against Primera Liga side Gil Vicente during their Portugal tour, will welcome Bundesliga outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach to Gtech Community Stadium and travel to Nottingham Forest for their first Premier League match this term.

This is QPR’s final friendly before the start of the 2025/26 Championship season. How do you think it has gone for them?

It has summed up QPR in recent years: very turbulent and inconsistent.

They had a 5-0 win against Stevenage, then a 6-0 loss to Castellón, a Spanish second-tier side, then a 2-1 win against Toulouse, who finished 10th in Ligue 1 in 2024/25, which just sums up how inconsistent their results are.

At the back end of the Championship season, their last two results were a heavy 5-0 loss to Burnley and a 1-0 win at Sunderland, who got promoted. But the way they bounced back from that heavy loss was really impressive and the head coach was full of praise for the character of the team.

You can't really take too much from the results - it is more about the performances - but losing 6-0 is never good.

It has also been really good to see some new players, who have really impressed. The style of play under the new head coach looks quite exciting, too.

Speaking of the new head coach, Julien Stéphan replaced Martí Cifuentes at Loftus Road at the end of June. How has his appointment been received by the fans?

It has been overwhelmingly positive. It was quite a surprising appointment in terms of the fact that he comes with a really good pedigree, having managed Rennes and Strasbourg.

He guided Rennes to their first trophy in around 50 years and secured the club's first-ever Champions League qualification, then had 18 months at Strasbourg.

The fact that he is stepping down, in a way, to Queens Park Rangers - who finished 15th in the Championship last season - surprised many, but it signals the intent of QPR going into the new season.

They have managed to keep some key players, they have tied Jimmy Dunne down with a new deal, and signed players like Kwame Poku, too.

From what I've seen on social media, and from speaking to fans, they seem pretty encouraged and really happy to have Stéphan on board.

Like you mentioned there, they have tied some players down and made some first-team signings. How would you sum up their business so far this summer?

It has been really impressive. The standout, for me anyway, is the signing of Poku from Peterborough. He was on the verge of a move to Rangers, then QPR hijacked it, pretty much.

He comes with good pedigree from League One, similarly to Amadou Mbengue, who is a really exciting young defender they have signed from Reading.

Harvey Vale, who they have signed from Chelsea, looks a good signing as well and he scored against Toulouse. It looks as though they are going to extend the contract of Michael Frey, who was top goalscorer last season. Again, that is really encouraging.

With the new head coach, keeping the players and then bringing in some highly-rated players as well, Rs fans are really looking forward to the season.

Which player should Brentford be keeping an eye out for on Saturday?

It is definitely Poku. He missed three months with a hamstring injury last season, but still managed 12 goals and 11 assists in 31 games in all competitions for Peterborough.

He is a really exciting winger who loves to take players on. He came on at half-time against Toulouse and absolutely terrified their defenders, so he could definitely trouble Brentford.

What should Keith Andrews’ men expect in terms of shape and style?

Generally, it is similar to the previous head coach, in a way. Instead of going for something completely different, they have definitely stuck to the possession-based model is what they're going for. It will be attractive football, playing out from the back.

With Stéphan, he is slightly more dynamic and there is slightly more emphasis on attacking, with a high intensity, so it will be interesting to see against an established Premier League club like Brentford whether he will be as gung-ho or if he will get the players to sit back a bit.

In terms of shape, it looks like a 4-2-3-1, with two holders and wide players going forward, with attractive, quite fast football.

What’s your score prediction?

It is hard to say with pre-season, isn’t it?! They have got Preston in the season opener the week after, so Stéphan will probably put out his strongest team, but it really does depend on Brentford and how strong they go.

Regardless, I think Brentford will win and there will be goals, so I will go for a fruity 4-2.