Redknapp Prepared To Take On United

Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp says the Premier League's capacity to surprise means his side can shock Manchester United at Loftus Road this weekend.

With QPR rooted to the bottom having won two of their 26 league games thus far, Redknapp's team face an uphill battle in their attempts to avoid relegation, with seven points separating them from 17<sup>th place Aston Villa.

Rangers face Villa, and fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic and Reading in crucial relegation six-pointers before the end of the season, but Redknapp hasn't given up hope of taking a significant step towards survival by shocking the Premier League leaders who themselves are looking to tighten their grip on the title.

"You can't predict results," Redknapp told the Fulham Chronicle.

"We're playing Chelsea away on the back of being smashed to pieces by Liverpool. What's the score going to be you might ask? 3-0, and 4-0 to them? I was surprised as you were.

"We then play Tottenham at home who've beaten everybody away and have scored in all away games - and they don't score against us."

He continued: "Against Man City who are champions, we get another great point and then another at West Ham, which is a hard place to go.

"So we're just as capable of getting something against Man United as anyone else."

QPR snatched an unlikely second win of the season away at west London rivals Chelsea in January courtesy of Shaun Wright-Phillips' goal but despite credible home draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, Redknapp has failed to make up substantial ground on their relegation rivals since taking over in November.

They host a United side who possess a 12-point led at the top over champions City, And with Roberto Mancini's men taking on third-place Chelsea on Sunday, the leaders can lay down another marker in the title race by going further clear, and thus piling the pressure on their so called noisy neighbours.

After having defeated Reading in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday, which came five days after their 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, Redknapp will be hoping to expose any fatigue in the United squad, with the club continuing to fight on three fronts this season as hopes remain over repeating their historic treble triumph from 1999.