QPR and Bolton Wanderers will meet battle at Loftus Road on Saturday, with both teams off to winning starts in the Championship this season.

The Hoops enter matchday two at the top of the second division after a blitz near the end of the first half clinched a 3-1 victory away to Portsmouth.

That win saw them overtake Bolton at the top of the league, after they briefly led after scooping up their first three points of the season at a sold-out Toughsheet Stadium against Preston North End in the lunchtime kick-offs.

If you had offered either team six points from six to start the new season, they would have snapped your hand off, so both will be eager to pick up where they left off last Saturday this weekend.

However, these seven players will not be featured.

Dennis Cirkin

QPR’s signing of free agent Dennis Cirkin raised eyebrows in all the right places, as the 24-year-old was instrumental in Sunderland’s triumph in the 2024/25 season, making 39 appearances in the league and playoffs.

However, he only made eight top-flight appearances last season and arrived at Loftus Road last week after not being with a team during the preseason.

R’s manager Julien Stephan has claimed that he is improving each day, but Saturday may be too soon for his debut.

Boy Kemper

Stephan held his cards close to his chest when asked about fellow new left-back newcomer Boy Kemper, who was substituted 20 minutes into his league debut at Fratton Park on Saturday.

The French manager stated that they will wait until the end of the week to assess his situation and determine whether he is fit for a return. He’s more of a question mark at this point, but they probably won’t risk the Dutchman this weekend.

Tariq Lamptey

Julien Stephan was similarly unclear when discussing Tariq Lamptey’s long-awaited QPR debut, which came after his contract with Fiorentina was dissolved.

He only played 25 minutes for the Serie A team last season after rupturing his ACL on his entire debut against Como in September.

QPR’s head coach claimed that he will be available before the September international break, but it is unknown when he will make his debut.

Karamoko Dembele

Karamoko Dembele’s status is clear: he has been out since early February due to an ACL injury.

The 23-year-old will most likely miss a few months to start the season.

Justin Obikwu

Justin Obikwu is back in training at QPR, and all eyes are on when he will make his debut for the club after signing from Coventry City in January.

Given Julien Stephan’s attacking ability and the length of his injury, the 22-year-old may be considered unable to make his complete debut for the Hoops.

Ruben Rodrigues

The only major injury issue for Bolton right now is talented attacking midfielder Ruben Rodrigues, who suffered a knee injury in the EFL Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday a fortnight ago.

Ruben Rodrigues’ Bolton Wanderers stats from last season

Appearances

Goals

Assists

He’s likely to be out for another five weeks, but in the meanwhile, he’s been awarded a fresh one-year contract extension, keeping the 30-year-old at Toughsheet Stadium until summer 2028.

Xavi Simons

And Xavi Simons will miss Bolton’s trip to QPR because he is serving the second of a three-match ban for an altercation with Sheffield Wednesday’s Harry Grey, which led in the 23-year-old being issued a red card in that EFL Cup defeat.

Simons only appeared in one league game between March and the conclusion of last season, but he was instrumental in Steven Schumacher’s side’s victorious play-off campaign, scoring the goal that secured their spot in the final against Bradford City in the second leg.