Pre-match quotes from the Loftus Road outfit seem extremely thin on the ground with only young striker Dexter Blackstock seemingly prepared to put his head over the parapet ahead of the Carling Cup second round tie against United in West London tonight, Blackstock commenting :
"We want to win every game we play, we don't want to let Carlisle come here and beat us. It's all about momentum and winning games and hopefully we can do that. I'm not sure what the manager will do - he changed it a bit for the Swindon game - but I'm sure if he named an unchanged side nobody would complain. Everybody wants to play and if I'm called upon I'd love it."
In team news for QPR it would seem that manager Iain Dowie will make sweeping changes to his starting line-up after their 2-0 home win over Doncaster at the weekend, with skipper Martin Rowlands, Kaspars Gorkss and Samuel Di Carmine all looking set to play from the kick-off tonight.
Injury-wise Fitz Hall (abductor muscle), Akos Buzsaky (ankle) and Rowan Vine (broken leg) are definitely sidelined. Meanwhile Patrick Agyemang and Hogan Ephraim maye have recovered enough from respective groin and shin splint problems to take a place on the substitutes bench.
The home side have played four games so far this season, beating Barnsley 2-1 at Loftus Road in the league before winning 3-2 at Swindon in the Carling Cup. Two more league games then followed, those being a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United and then a 2-0 home win over Doncaster.
Over the years Carlisle have played at QPR 11 times, the Blues only managing to pick up one win and three draws. That solitary victory came way back in the old Third Division in 1964-65. United, who won the title that season, coming back from 1-0 down at half-time to win 2-1 in front of 5,934 spectators thanks to goals from James Blain and John Evans.
The referee for tonight's match is Keith Hill from Royston in Hertfordshire, and he will be assisted down the lines by Matthew McLaughlin from Luton in Bedfordshire and Paul Melin from Frimley in Surrey. Meanwhile the fourth official is Carl Berry from Cheam in Surrey.