Premier League preview: QPR v Arsenal

QPR continue their battle for English Premier League survival with a visit from in-form Arsenal on Saturday.

Rangers have been mired in relegation trouble for most of the season, and with eight games left they remain in 18th spot with 25 points.

Mark Hughes’ side face a daunting run home as well, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City all still to come after the Gunners’ visit to Loftus Road this week.

QPR have leaked goals this season, keeping just three clean sheets, and have conceded three goals or more on seven occasions.

This does not bode well for them as they prepare to face an Arsenal team who have only failed to score four times in 30 matches this season and boasts the league’s top scorer – Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman has scored 26 times in the Premier League this season, just seven goals fewer than QPR’s entire tally, and scored the winner the last time the two sides met at the Emirates Stadium on New Year’s Eve.

Another blow for QPR is the four-match ban handed to striker Djibril Cisse after his ugly tackle on Fraizer Campbell in last week’s 3-1 loss to Sunderland.

However, in a spot of good news for Mark Hughes, top scorer Heidar Helguson is hoping to be fit in time to face Arsenal after recovering from a groin injury.

The Iceland striker, who has scored eight goals this season, has been out since January and hopes he can make an impact off the bench on his return to the squad.

Helguson told Icelandic website 433.is: “I started training on Monday, so you could say that I’ve recovered.

“It’s never fun to get injured, and especially not when the team is not doing too well. We’ve been struggling.

“I had a surgery on my groin, there were some problems there, but it looks like it went well. I still feel a bit of pain and that will continue for some time, but it looks like the worst part is over and the problem was fixed.

“If I do okay in training this week, I hope to at least make the bench (against Arsenal). We will just have to wait and see but that’s what I hope for.”

Arsenal, who are unbeaten in eight matches in the Premier League, will be without defenders Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, while Jack Wilshere remains on course to return from his ankle injury next month.