‘I don't think...’: QPR boss sets out eye-watering points total Portsmouth, Leicester City & Co will need to avoid relegation

QPR boss Julien Stephan is adamant Pompey and their relegation rivals will need at least 52 points to beat the drop this season.

The race for survival accelerates on Saturday afternoon with the Blues set to visit Loftus Road bidding to increase their advantage over the relegation zone.

John Mousinho’s troops are still looking over their shoulders, with one point currently separating themselves and the bottom three.

The Blues have picked up 40 points from their 37 matches so far - one game fewer than their closest rivals, albeit that contest will come against promotion-chasing Ipswich Town.

Last season, Pompey finished 16th on their first season back in the Championship, having claimed 54 points - five clear of the drop zone.

Twenty-first placed Hull City secured their safety on the final day by goal difference after a draw at Fratton Park in what was a five-horse race to beat the drop on the last day of the campaign.

Forty-nine points have been required twice over the past three seasons to avoid the drop back into League One.

Meanwhile, Plymouth required 51 points at the end of the 2023-24 campaign to retain their Championship status in a close battle with Birmingham City.

It will no doubt be a nail-biting climax to the campaign with Pompey firmly in a five-team battle with just four points separating 23rd-placed Leicester City and 19th-placed Blackburn Rovers.

QPR boss sets out points total needed to beat drop

Upwards of 52 points is the required target to avoid a return to League One for the Blues, according to Stephan, who is readying his side ahead of Saturday’s game in west London.

Although the R’s sit on 50 points from their 38 games so far, the Frenchman is adamant that points total will not be enough to beat the drop.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: ‘I don't think 50 points is enough. I think we need more, probably two or three more to be sure.

‘Probably my answer could be different if Oxford, for example, or West Brom, had lost their last games, but it was not the case. So I think we need one more win.

‘And after that, when we will have 52 or 53, the next challenge is to have the most possible points at the end of the season.’

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Pompey’s Championship run in

The run-in is well underway, with Pompey occupying 20th position, having picked up 40 points to date.

Following the international break, the Blues then face Norwich City on Good Friday and Oxford United on Easter Monday.

The fixtures then come thick and fast for Mousinho’s men, who then take on Middlesbrough (April 11), Ipswich Town (April 14), Leicester City (April 18), Coventry City (April 21), Stoke City (April 25) and Birmingham City on the final day (May 2).

Pompey earned their first victory back in the Championship in this fixture last term, which represented just one of their three wins on the road.

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