Manchester City will have to start their post-CSKA recovery without Vincent Kompany as their Belgian captain suffered a calf injury in the 2-1 Bonfire Night defeat to the Russian side in the Champions League.
Kompany’s place in the team will probably be taken up by England’s most expensive defender at £32m in Eliaquim Mangala, who has had a mixed start to life in the Premier League. Mangala could partner Martin Demichelis at Loftus Road.
Both Yaya Toure and Fernandinho, who were sent off in that game, should be available for the weekend fixture and they could be joined by Frank Lampard who has recovered from a thigh problem but City will miss the attacking talents of David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov.
The return of Lampard could mean City opt to bolster midfield at the expense of a striker since Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic have been below par during City’s poor run in recent weeks.
The onus to score has rested heavily on Sergio Aguero’s shoulders this season and the Argentine striker has a return of 10 goals in 10 Premier League games this season, far and away City’s most dangerous attacking player in the league.
City are not the same team in the Champions League, however, and they were exposed on Wednesday by a well executed counter attacking plan by Leonid Slutsky’s men as they punished individual mistakes by City who seemed to lack the speed of thought and passing that is a hallmark of manager Manuel Pellegrini’s play.
City were similarly exposed in the defeat at West Ham, with Hammers manager Sam Allardyce pinpointing Mangala’s inexperience in the Premier League as something they could exploit.
And last week 10-man Manchester United made City earn their victory with a second half performance that left Kompany’s cohorts in fear of an equaliser.
With just one win in the last five games the pressure is on Pellegrini to get City’s Barclays Premier League title challenge back on track against QPR.
City could come up against old-boys Joey Barton and Nedum Onuoha when they visit West London on Saturday but ex Manchester United skipper Rio Ferdinand is suspended.