QPR vs. Manchester City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Manchester City will attempt to put their embarrassing Champions League loss to CSKA Moscow behind them on Saturday when they travel to London to take on Queens Park Rangers in Week 11 of the 2014-15 Premier League season.

QPR have lost four from their last five but gave league leaders Chelsea a strong challenge in Week 10, and they'll be looking to cause an upset against a struggling City squad.

The Citizens looked sluggish and uninspired against CSKA and rivals Manchester United a week ago, and they can't afford another letdown with Chelsea looking to run away with the Premier League title.

Date: Saturday, November 8

Time: 5.30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Loftus Road, London

TV info and live stream: The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports 1 (for UK viewers) and NBC Sport (for US viewers), with mobile coverage available via the Sky Go app and NBC Sports' Live Extra.

Preview

Clive Rose/Getty Images

None of Manuel Pellegrini's City squads have ever been more in need of a win than the one we'll see on Saturday. After the dreadful showing against CSKA, criticism is raining down from every angle, and no one is being spared.

The Citizens finished the match with nine men, but their execution over the course of 90 minutes was undoubtedly the main culprit for the loss. Particularly in midfield and on the defensive end, the Russians simply outplayed the Premier League champions.

The Guardian's Paul Wilson sees the QPR clash as pivotal, as a result:

"

Asked about City’s chances of winning their next two Champions League games, on Wednesday Pellegrini replied the most important one to win was this Saturday, against Queens Park Rangers. That answer was not quite as flip as it might have sounded.

Should City’s confidence slump carry over into the league, so that home points are dropped against relegation strugglers, Pellegrini’s future at the club would come under the closest scrutiny. If a lack of visible progress was what counted against Mark Hughes and Roberto Mancini, Pellegrini is currently banging his head against the same wall.

"

Rangers aren't one of the Premier League's elite teams—they're not even a particularly good team. But the hosts know how to defend with numbers and win matches with individual brilliance, and via West London Sport, they'll be boosted by the return of Joey Barton, Jordon Mutch and Nedum Onuoha.

QPR's official Twitter feed added Niko Kranjcar to that list:

Charlie Austin has been in phenomenal form for QPR, scoring three goals in his last two matches, per WhoScored.com. The 25-year-old is displaying both confidence and the ability to be in the right place at the right time, two things that could hurt City's back four.

Confidence and momentum can be massive factors in football, something Harry Redknapp alluded to during his press-conference:

The visitors clearly have the upper hand when it comes to talent, however, even without star playmaker David Silva. Fernandinho and Yaya Toure both saw red, with the latter dismissed after a blatant shove, so Pellegrini could opt to shift his players around a bit to send a message.

The Ivorian did apologise for his actions, via The Sun:

City's biggest strength remains their formidable group of forwards, and servicing those players will be key on Saturday. QPR smell blood in the water—dominating the battle in midfield from the opening whistle will go a long way toward building confidence.

Stevan Jovetic agrees the squad need to forget about Wednesday's debacle as soon as possible, as reported by the Manchester Evening News' Stuart Brennan:

"

It wasn’t good. We didn’t play well. We lost 2-1 and I don’t know the reason, but we were not the same team that played against United.

I don’t know why that was, but CSKA played well. They were better than us and deserved the win. We were so much better against United, but this time.

We need to forget this as soon as possible – we have a game against QPR and need to forget this.

"

QPR's number of goals conceded ranks dead last in the Premier League, via WhoScored, presenting the Citizens with the perfect opportunity to start their surge back to the top.

Not dwelling on the past will be key, and if the midfielders can show a little more initiative and a sense of urgency, City should find a way to get past QPR on Saturday.

Final score prediction: QPR 1-2 Manchester City

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