By James Callow. Paulo Sousa will entertain his former employers this Saturday when Swansea play host to QPR. Sousa was brutally sacked by Hoops last season after divulging sensitive information to the media.

Ins and outs: It is hard to look further than the former Hoops boss Paulo Sousa, whose Loftus Road spell ended in ignominy last April. The nature of his dismissal - when he spoke out against the club's owners - should have secured him some goodwill from QPR fans.

In June the Portuguese was handed the mammouth task of replacing Roberto Martinez but he was soon swimming against the Tawe tide as Wigan's manager took Jason Scotland and Jordi Gomez to the DW Stadium.

Cedric van der Gun has joined from Utrecht and striker Craig Beattie has joined from West Brom.

The pacy Nathan Dyer has made his move from Southampton permanent while Jordi Lopez, who played briefly for QPR last season before being released, has followed Sousa west.

Form guide: Improving of late. Inconsistency gripped their start to the campaign but consecutive goalless draws against Bristol City and Barnsley and then last weekend's 2-1 home win over Sheffield United (when they finished the game with nine men) showed that they may be made of sterner stuff.

Familiar faces: Aside from Sousa, Lopez will likely be suspended after last weekend's dismissal

Matthew Collins and Darren Pratley both started their careers at Fulham, but the cosmopolitan nature of Swansea's squad means that Hoops connections are few and far between.

Past times: England were yet to win the World Cup when Swansea last beat QPR in a league game in October 1965.

The two teams have generally avoided each other since then, but the Hoops' record of nine league games is nonetheless impressive.

Last year's visit to Liberty Stadium ended goalless and Mikele Leigertwood's strike proved decisive at the Loft.

Verdict: A tough trip for QPR and one from which a point would be a fair return.