It’s Very Clear – QPR Boss Acknowledges Fortress Fratton Park Factor | OneFootball

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QPR boss Marti Cifuentes is of the view that playing against Portsmouth at Fratton Park is currently one of the toughest fixtures for any team in the Championship.

Pompey had a rough start to life in the Championship after John Mousinho took them up automatically from League One last season.

They were continuously languishing around the relegation zone, but have had a resurgence and now boast a seven-point lead over the drop zone, thanks in large part to fortress Fratton Park.

Cifuentes, whose side visit Portsmouth on Saturday, feels that Mousinho’s men have found an identity and did smart business in the winter transfer window.

The QPR boss is clear that a Fratton Park visit is now one of the most difficult games to play in the Championship.

“They have been definitely improving, not only because they made, I think, some good, smart signings during the last winter, but as well, I think they start to perhaps have an even more clear identity”, Cifuentes told his club’s in-house media.

“It’s not easy for a team that did that well in League One, then suddenly to play Championship and perhaps the start was not the one that they wanted.

“But I think that now it’s very clear where they are strong, in which areas they are very strong – especially at home, they have been in incredible form.

“So, we need to be ready for a game that is one of the most challenging that you can play at the moment in the Championship.”

QPR are also currently making a dash for one of the playoff spots and they are heading to Pompey on the back of a robust 4-0 win against Derby County.