Martí Cifuentes hails “very good experience” in pre-season ahead on West Brom clash
Queens Park Rangers head coach Martí Cifuentes has faced the media ahead of the Hoops’ opening Championship fixture against West Brom on Saturday.This summer was the Spaniard’s first pre-season with the club, following his arrival last October.
Cifuentes will be thankful to be able to ring in the new campaign in front of an excited home crowd – but an opening game against last season’s playoff semi-finalists will be anything but a simple encounter.
Despite some of the challenges that the team have faced over the summer, the head coach remained very positive heading into tomorrow’s game.
Unfortunately, Cifuentes confirmed that he will be without Ilias Chair and Morgan Fox for tomorrow’s game, while Lyndon Dykes may not be fit enough to start:
“Chair and Fox will not be ready. Dykes is ready for tomorrow’s game. […] It’s a decision that we need to make [whether Dykes can start], but, he has been feeling good during the week. And, yeah, he’s available for the game.”
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/01/16/2972423-61004388-2560-1440.jpg)
Jonathan Varane
Midfielder Jonathan Varane joined QPR earlier this summer and, despite not having a full pre-season, Cifuentes has confirmed that his fellow Spaniard is ready to help the team:
“His pre-season started, obviously in Spain, a bit later than us. He’s in a good physical situation. He has been doing only, I think, it’s four training sessions with us, but he’s in a good shape. So, yeah, I’m glad that he’s with us, and I think that he looks ready to contribute with the team.”
Many have tipped the Baggies for another playoff push this season, with Saturday’s encounter expected to be a significant test for QPR.
When asked about what he expects from the opposition, Cifuentes
“[They are a] good team, well, coached. Of course, they lost some important players, but the way I know Carlos, I’m sure that they will be very competitive, and I expect a difficult game. They got class players.
“There are important players that are still in the squad, so I think the foundation is pretty similar to last season. I’m sure that they’re gonna be good when out of possession, dangerous when they can attack, very good at high press. So it’s gonna be a very difficult challenge.”
About The Author
