Warnock expecting a tough afternoon against the Blues on Sunday

Neil Warnock says QPR must hope Chelsea have an ‘off-day’ on Sunday – and insists a positive result against their fierce west-London rivals will merely be a bonus.

Chelsea are in imperious form ahead of their short trip from Stamford Bridge to Loftus Road, having taken six wins from seven Premier League matches, while they hammered Genk 5-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Warnock admits he fears a difficult afternoon in QPR’s league clash with Chelsea since 1996, and says the Blues can do his side ‘serious damage’.

“You know what you’re going to get with them, you’ve just got to hope they have an off-day,” said Warnock. “They’re such a good team, it’s very difficult.

“I think we’ve just got to try and get the atmosphere, enjoy it, and give them a good game if we can. Against the top teams, points are bonuses really.

“I do feel the lads are really looking forward to it. On the training ground there’s that little buzz because it’s Chelsea, the first local derby we’ve had for many years.

“If Fulham can score six, I think any team can do serious damage to us. No dis-respect to Fulham, but if we’d been playing one of the other teams that day goodness knows what the score would have been.”

Follow Ian Cooper on Twitter @QPRTimes