Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers head into this EFL Championship London derby on 9 September 2026 with almost identical standing: both clubs have 10 points from five games with QPR sitting third and Charlton sixth on goal difference alone. It is a proper contest between two sides who believe they belong in the top two come May and three points here would open a gap on the other for the first time all season.
Nathan Jones has some managerial history against QPR, though with mixed results. Julien Stephan, who took over at Loftus Road on 25 June 2025 following Marti Cifuentes's departure, brings a tactical identity Jones hasn't faced in this specific context. There is no reliable direct record of these two squaring off, so this one starts roughly even on the touchline.
Charlton's last five reads W-W-W-D-L and the loss was a rough one: a 0-4 hammering at Stoke City on 5 September that started evenly before breaking down badly in transition as Stoke exploited it repeatedly. QPR's sequence is W-D-W-W-L, their only loss a 0-1 defeat at Middlesbrough and while both sides have shown they can grind results out, Charlton's Stoke collapse is the fresher wound heading into this.
Jones goes into this with Dan McNamara suspended after his red card against Stoke and Collins Sichenje still out with a long term knee injury, leaving the back four reshuffled at an already difficult time. Stephan has his own troubles: Ilias Chair is out injured (QPR's chief playmaker and joint top scorer), while Jimmy Dunne is also sidelined with a longer term knee issue that weakens their defensive cover. Tyreece Campbell has three league goals for Charlton, while Rumarn Burrell carries much of the scoring burden for QPR with Chair unavailable.
Charlton like to build patiently, pushing full backs forward while staying compact centrally and Jones has built set pieces into a repeatable source of goals. Losing McNamara and Sichenje hurts the width and aerial presence in the back line, leaving transitions exposed to QPR's wide runners. QPR under Stephan have played fast, direct football with quick one touch combinations through the wings but without Chair pulling the strings in tight pockets they may become more blunt and predictable, though that is not necessarily fatal against a makeshift Charlton defence.
Campbell's movement in behind QPR's centre backs looks like the duel that decides this: he thrives on intelligent runs and Charlton will try to find him through structured build up rather than just lumping it. QPR's wide players, meanwhile, will target the inexperienced cover at right back in particular, where McNamara's absence is hardest to paper over.
The historical record is about as tight as these things get: roughly 25 Charlton wins, 24 for QPR and 23 draws, with QPR winning 3-1 at Loftus Road on 30 August 2025 before Charlton held them to a 0-0 at The Valley on 6 February 2026, a ground that has historically been awkward for QPR to visit.
Dead ball execution could easily be the deciding factor given both sides are short in defence. Charlton's set piece organisation is a known strength and QPR losing Dunne makes them considerably more exposed from corners and free kicks. McNamara's suspension complicates wide delivery for Charlton but the structure around the box should still function. QPR may try to press higher to stop those routines developing, which opens space in behind for Campbell to run into and Charlton have the added incentive of answering a chastening result while QPR arrive with the confidence of sitting third.
The defensive absences on both sides make this harder to call than the league positions suggest. Charlton's home record against QPR, their dead ball structure against a side missing their two most influential centre backs and the urgency of answering Stoke all tip this home. Campbell should score, a set piece should add a second and QPR's wide runners will find enough gaps in the reshuffled back line to pull one back. 2-1 Charlton.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
