Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink insists he will take no chances with Charlie Austin’s fitness.
Austin, who has been nursing a calf problem, is being lined up for return to QPR’s starting line-up against Championship leaders Brighton at Loftus Road tonight – a move that would see Matt Phillips revert back to a wide role and Karl Henry drop to the bench.
R’s boss Hasselbaink said: “Charlie’s fit to start. He was fit to start on Saturday but we want him to be able to play 90 minutes.
“I’m a big lover of Charlie Austin. He’s a very good striker that I really like, but he’s been injured and before I came here he hadn’t played.
“I don’t want to rush him and risk losing him. I need to give him that base (of fitness) where he can go forward.”
Clint Hill has also been passed fit for tonight’s game after recovering from knee injury.
This post was last modified on 15/12/2015