Southampton manager Julien Stephan has pinpointed the return of Ilias Chair as a key factor for Queens Park Rangers ahead of their visit to St Mary's on Saturday. The 28-year-old attacking midfielder is back in contention after injury and has a history of influencing games against the Saints. Stephan's side, sitting sixth in the Championship with 20 points from a record of seven wins, three draws and two losses, will be looking to build on their recent form of three wins, a draw and a loss.

Stephan told reporters he was "quite positive" about his team's recent performances but acknowledged the specific threat. Chair has made 265 appearances for QPR, contributing 39 goals and 42 assists, and has one goal and two assists from his five league outings this season.

QPR's in-form threat

The visitors arrive in strong form, sitting eighth in the Championship table after a 5-0 demolition of Swansea City last time out. That result was spearheaded by a 15-minute hat-trick from Rumarn Burrell. QPR have also bolstered their full-back positions with recent deals for Tariq Lamptey and Dennis Cirkin, adding to a squad that includes talents like Finn Azaz and young prospect Isak Alemayehu.

For Southampton, who sit sixth with 20 points from 12 games, the focus is on maintaining their own positive momentum. Their last outing was a dramatic 3-2 away win at West Ham on Saturday 24 October, with goals from Kuryu Matsuki, James Bree and Lewis Dobbin. That result was part of a recent run that also includes a goalless draw with Bolton on Saturday 17 October, a 1-0 win at Norwich on Wednesday 14 October, a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth on Sunday 11 October, and a 2-1 loss to Wrexham on Saturday 19 September. Top scorer Cyle Larin, who has seven goals in 11 appearances this season, is considered touch-and-go for the QPR fixture.

Chair's creative spark

Chair's quality is showed by his creative numbers, averaging 2.76 chances created per 90 minutes this season-a rate that places him in the top eight percent of attacking midfielders. His potential duel with Southampton's midfield, likely featuring Matsuki and Leo Scienza, could be decisive. The Saints' defence, which has conceded just 12 goals this term against 24 scored for a healthy goal difference of plus 12, will need to be alert to his movement between the lines.

Southampton's recent fixtures have yielded three wins, a draw and a loss from their last five, a sequence that includes a south coast derby victory over Portsmouth. They now face a QPR side against whom they have won only twice in the last ten meetings. The match kicks off at St Mary's on Saturday 31 October as both teams look to close the five-point gap to league leaders Middlesbrough. Stephan will finalise his lineup after assessing Larin's fitness in the final training session.

This story first appeared at onefootball.com