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After an encouraging opening fortnight, Queens Park Rangers face arguably their toughest test of the season so far when they travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. Rangers remain unbeaten after beating Portsmouth 3-1 on the opening day before being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Bolton Wanderers, but Blackburn have arguably made the more surprising start. Widely tipped by many to struggle after a summer of uncertainty, Rovers have taken four points from two difficult fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Middlesbrough, drawing 2-2 at Molineux before beating Boro 2-1 last weekend. They could even feel slightly aggrieved not to have taken all three points from Wolves after surrendering a lead late on. The return of Tony Mowbray has perhaps brought a degree of stability to a club which endured another turbulent summer, and Blackburn have looked considerably more convincing than might have been expected. They have defended with resilience while posing a real threat on the counter-attack, with their ability to transition quickly likely to provide a stern examination of a QPR side that will be keen to dictate the game. That makes the battle for possession particularly intriguing. QPR are still yet to win a game under Julien Stephan in which they have had more of the ball, drawing 0-0 with Bolton despite enjoying 55% possession and having 18 shots to their opponents’ two. Blackburn, meanwhile, produced one of their most impressive results of the young season against Middlesbrough despite having just 29% of the ball, demonstrating their willingness to allow the opposition to take the initiative before exploiting the space left behind them. It will therefore be interesting to see which side is prepared to take responsibility for the game at Ewood Park, and whether Stephan’s Rangers can find a way to turn their possession into a result. The size of the pitch could play a significant role too. Stephan has already highlighted the ‘huge’ Ewood Park surface as a different challenge to the smaller Fratton Park and Loftus Road pitches Rangers have encountered in their opening two games, pointing out that the additional space provides both ‘bigger space to defend and to attack’. That could encourage QPR to utilise the pace of Rumarn Burrell in behind the Blackburn defence, particularly if Mowbray’s side once again look to sit deeper and spring forward on the counter. Team selection will therefore be interesting. The eleven that started against Bolton produced an excellent performance and arguably deserved more than a point, but Nico Madsen could now be pushing for a starting berth after returning from injury. Dennis Cirkin could also be considered if he is fit enough to start at left-back, while Burrell may be preferred from the outset given the space available away from home and the potential to stretch Blackburn’s defence. There is plenty of positive recent history for Rangers at Ewood Park, too. QPR have won two of their last three league visits, with Paul Smyth’s late header securing victory last November after Joe Hodge scored on his debut in a 2-1 win in February 2024. The game between those two victories was rather less enjoyable, however, as Blackburn won 2-0 with Jonathan Varane sent off for Rangers. The historical record is actually rather unusual. None of the last 17 league meetings between the sides have ended in a draw, while QPR have now won at Ewood Park in two of their last three Championship campaigns after winning only two of their previous 18 league visits there. Another victory would not only extend that impressive recent record but would give Rangers their best start to a league season in several years, with the club looking to remain unbeaten across the opening three matchdays for only the second time in the past decade. However, Blackburn’s start means this is unlikely to be straightforward. They have already shown against two sides expected to be competing towards the top end of the division that they can absorb pressure, defend their box and punish mistakes in transition. For all the optimism surrounding Stephan’s Rangers after the opening two games, Ewood Park should provide a useful indication of how far this side has really come, particularly when it comes to controlling a game against an opponent who may have little interest in allowing them to do so. With six games coming in the space of three weeks, Stephan will also have to manage his squad carefully, meaning Saturday could be as much about making the right decisions with his starting XI and substitutions as it is about the performance itself. But if Rangers can reproduce the quality they showed against Bolton while adding the cutting edge that was missing in front of goal, there is no reason they cannot come away with another important result. And with two wins from their last three visits to Ewood Park, QPR have reason to believe they can make this particular corner of Lancashire a happy hunting ground once again.