PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: QUEENS PARK RANGERS V CHELSEA

CHELSEA STATS
Chelsea in the FA Cup

Winners: 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010
Runners-up: 1915, 1967, 1994, 2002
Semi-finalists: 1911, 1920, 1932, 1950, 1952, 1965, 1966, 1996, 2006

If you exclude penalty shoot-outs, Chelsea are unbeaten in 17 FA Cup matches in open play since Barnsley defeated us 1-0 in March 2008.

Chelsea are looking to extend our unbeaten record in 2012 to five games and to achieve a fourth successive clean sheet for the first time since October 2010.

Last 10 seasons in the FA Cup
2001/02 - Runners-up
2002/03 - Quarter-final
2003/04 - 5th round
2004/05 - 5th round
2005/06 - Semi-final
2006/07 - Winners
2007/08 - Quarter-final
2008/09 - Winners
2009/10 - Winners
2010/11 - 4th round

Last season the Blues went out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage to Everton on penalties at Stamford Bridge.

2011/12 scorers
Lampard 11 (2 pens), Sturridge 10, Ramires 8, Drogba 6, Mata 6, Terry 4, Torres 4, Kalou 3, Meireles 2, Anelka 1, Bosingwa 1, Ivanovic 1, D Luiz 1, Malouda 1. Total 59.

MILESTONES
If selected, Jose Bosingwa will make his 100th start in a Blue shirt.

QPR STATS
Formed 1886

QPR in the FA Cup
Runners-up: 1982
Semi-finalists: None
Quarter-finals: 1948, 1970, 1974, 1990, 1995

Mark Hughes is QPR's eighth manager since we played Rangers in the FA Cup four years ago

QPR have won their last two games against MK Dons and Wigan. That followed 10 games without a victory.

Last 10 seasons in the FA Cup
2001/02 - 1st round
2002/03 - 1st round
2003/04 - 1st round
2004/05 - 3rd round
2005/06 - 3rd round
2006/07 - 3rd round
2007/08 - 3rd round
2008/09 - 3rd round
2009/10 - 3rd round
2010/11 - 3rd round

Manager Mark Hughes
Days in charge: 18
Played 3
Won 2
Drawn 0
Lost 1

2010/11 scorers
Helguson 9 (2 pens), Barton 2, Bothroyd 2, Mackie 2, Smith 2, Young 2, Buzsaky 1, Campbell 1, Faurlin 1, Gabbidon 1, own goal 1. Total 24.

WINDOW WATCH
Completed January transfers
Chelsea
Ins Gary Cahill (Bolton, undisclosed)
Outs Nicolas Anelka (Shanghai Shenhua, undisclosed), Carl Magnay (released), Rhys Taylor (Rotherham, loan), Ben Gordon (Kilmarnock, loan), Josh McEachran (Swansea, loan), Patrick van Aanholt (Vitesse Arnham, loan), Gael Kakuta (Dijon, loan), Sam Walker (Yeovil, loan)
QPR
Ins Federico Macheda (Manchester United, loan), Taye Taiwo (AC Milan, loan), Nedum Onuoha (Manchester City, undisclosed).

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
The referee is Mike Dean, who dismissed Fernando Torres in the first of the three Chelsea matches he's officiated this season. The Blues have won all three.

OTHERWISE ENGAGED
There are no suspensions.

Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and for QPR Adel Taarabt and Armand Traore are away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

MATCH REPORT: QUEENS PARK RANGERS 0 CHELSEA 1

Summary
A Juan Mata penalty an hour into the game settled Saturday lunchtime's fourth round FA Cup tie. It was an unremarkable derby but unlike the league defeat here in October, the Chelsea team maintained our discipline in defence and in the tackle to limit the home side's threat.

Our chances were limited but Daniel Sturridge could have been awarded a second-half penalty before referee Mike Dean did give the decisive but disputed spot-kick for a shove on the same striker.

The bad news to come from Loftus Road was an injury to Ramires that resulted in the Brazilian being carried off on a stretcher, clearly in pain with a suspected medial knee ligament injury.

Best moment
Knockout cup football is all the result so the highlight of the early afternoon in west London was Mata demonstrating he can be added to our list of penalty takers. It was his first goal since the third round against Portsmouth.

Team news
Branislav Ivanovic returned at right-back for his first game since the away match at Spurs before Christmas. Jose Bosingwa made way. Florent Malouda was chosen as injured Frank Lampard's replacement in midfield. Gary Cahill was on the bench for the first time.

QPR were unchanged. New signing Nedum Onuoha was on their bench.

First half
John Terry and Ashley Cole both won tackles within the first minute inside an initially noisy Loftus Road stadium although the home fans surprisingly failed to fill all their seats. Three thousand Chelsea fans packed the away end. The pre-match handshakes between the teams were suspended for this game.

As Chelsea pushed forward, Cole laid a nicely weighted pass into the path of Malouda but the cross that followed was too high for Torres.

On eight minutes, Sturridge thumped a shot from 30 yards out but his radar was all askew. He did better soon after with a crossfield ball to Mata that switched play well but the first chance Mata had for a shot came thanks to an 11^th minute slip by Rangers right-back Luke Young. The Spaniard's well-struck effort bounced off the keeper but Ramires could only force a corner with the rebound.

It had been a high-profile build up to the game but it was a low-key first 45 minutes. Chelsea continued to look the team most likely. Terry and Cole did well to earn a corner which the Chelsea skipper headed on but David Luiz's ambitious over-head kick cleared the bar.

QPR were making mistakes but Chelsea were lacking the accuracy in our passing to make the most of them. When the home side tried to push forward it was mostly down their left but Ivanovic was coping well with Wright-Phillips. The former Chelsea man was booked on 28 minutes for a late tackle on Meireles.

Five minutes later Torres showed good control in the area and crossed but when it was cleared, Meireles kept the ball airborne with one touch and then volleyed wide with a second.

Meireles, not for the first time in the game, then lost the ball in the Chelsea half but Wright-Phillips's shot was wayward. The Chelsea fans behind that goal let him know by way of song that it was the type of attempt from the winger they had witnessed before.

One of the best moves of the half came via a Mata backheel and a Ramires burst beyond the closest defender but the Brazilian's cross flew across the face of goal at pace.

Chelsea were favouring the long diagonal ball forward but when such a combination between David Luiz and Mata gave Malouda a shooting chance, he dragged his effort tamely wide.

Second half
QPR made a switch up front for the restart due to injury, Federico Macheda replacing Heidar Helguson and it was a change that did not improve the home side's penetration. Their centre-back Fitz Hall was booked two minutes in for a handball as he battled with Torres.

Chelsea were playing with a better intensity and tempo than the first half and were camped inside the Rangers half. Torres with quick feet supplied Sturridge for a rocket of a shot that missed the target by not much more than a foot.

On 57 minutes, Ramires left two Rangers midfielders in his wake but rather than playing a pass centrally for Torres, opted to delay and move it out to Sturridge on the right. He ran to the byline and appeared to be tripped just as the ball went out for a corner. There were appeals from Chelsea but no penalty given.

Three minutes later referee Mike Dean did point to the spot. Mata had chipped a ball into the area and Sturridge facing goal was pushed in the back by Clint Hill. The Rangers player was incensed when a penalty was awarded but of two debatable decisions in quick succession, one had gone their way and one hadn't. There were also similarities with the penalty awarded against David Luiz that decided the previous game between these sides.

In the absence of Drogba and Lampard, it fell to Mata to take the penalty which he did well with a low drive.

Chelsea's first player booked was Cole, for a foul on Wright-Phillips just inside the Chelsea half and as the free-kick was played in, Cech punched clear. There was a follow-up shot blocked and a scramble in which Ramires suffered the injury that ended his game. He was carried off with legs immobilised.

With 78 minutes played, Romeu rather than Essien was the player to come on. The shape changed to 4-2-3-1 with Mata now more central.

The home team pushed forward in the closing stages, as they had to, but although Chelsea conceded a few free-kicks in our half, an equaliser never looked a realistic possibility. Romeu was booked in the final moments for a sliding foul on Smith before with seconds to go, Cech made a sprawling save from Young's shot. Thankfully the ball came out to Wright-Phillips who skied his shot.

At the final whistle the entire Chelsea team went down to the away end and applauded the backing they had received from our fans.

We will discover our fifth round opponents when the draw is made on Sunday afternoon at approx. 3.40pm.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic; D Luiz, Terry (c), Cole; Ramires (Romeu 78), Meireles, Malouda; Sturridge, Torres, Mata (Essien 90).
Unused subs Turnbull, Bosingwa, Bertrand, Cahill, Lukaku.
Scorer Mata 61 pen.
Booked Cole 72, Romeu 90+5.

QPR (4-4-2): Kenny; Young, Hall, Ferdinand, Hill; Mackie, Barton (c), Buzsaky (Hulse 78), Wright-Phillips; Smith, Helguson (Macheda h-t).
Unused subs Cerny, Orr, Onuoha, Ephraim, Derry.
Booked Wright-Phillips 28, Hall 47.

Referee Mike Dean.
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