Chelsea vs. Queens Park Rangers: Team news, TV & streaming information, preview

There's a fantastic grocery store within walking distance of my work -- that fact alone is amazing in the suburbia of anytown USA -- and they serve some of the best soups in the area every day for lunch.  Anything from your basic chicken noodle to jambalaya to whatever random concoction their chefs come up with.  I spend my money there quite frequently.

Usually, the soups are steaming hot, the (optional) accompanying small bread loaves freshly baked.  After paying, there's always the option to salt, pepper, and spice things up to taste.  I always dump some red peppers flakes on top because everything is better with red peppers.  The mix of flavors, the high quality ingredients, the convenice, it all adds up to a marvelous experience.

Most of the time.

Every once in a while, something goes wrong and you end up with lukewarm swill.  We call that QPR on a Saturday morning.

Date / Time: Saturday, November 1, 2014, 15:00 GMT; 11am EDT; 8:30pm IST

Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6

Referee: Mike Jones - Flossin' MIKEJOOOAAANZZZZ.  Slim Thug and Paul Wall (the people's champ!) running the lines.  Or not.  This cat's actually from Cheshire and he's been a Premier League referee since 2008.  This will be his 10th match in charge of Chelsea, his first in almost a year, and 9th in league play after he made his debut in our 1-0 League Cup win over, appropriately enough, QPR in 2009.  We have won all seven of his games at the Bridge, and 8 of 9 overall.

Forecast: Morning showers, November sours.  Actually, it should be "bright" and "breezy" and possibly even sunny.  Weird.

On TV: none (UK); NBCSN, mun2 (USA); Stars Sports 4 (India); elsewhere

Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (USA); Star Sports (India)

Chelsea Team News: Diego Costa and Ramires should be back from injury and available for selection.  Finally.  Loic Remy and John Obi Mikel (who managed to pick up yet another small knock) will not be.  Cesar Azpilicueta will serve the third match of his three-game suspension; Branislav Ivanovic will be back after serving his one-game suspension midweek.

We don't have another match until Wednesday (and it's only NK Maribor away), and Mourinho spoke earlier this week of not having too many "headaches" with squad selection, so there's no reason to not expect a full-strength lineup in what is, ostensibly, a West London Derby.  With Chelsea still unbeaten on the season, it's no surprise that the team can basically pick itself.

QPR Team News: Harry Redknapp's ragtag Loic Remy-less bunch of Tottenham rejects, washed-up Premier League stars, wasted mercurial talents, and a few promising youngsters are dealing with several injuries, including 22-year-old Jordon Mutch who already had one goal at Stamford Bridge to his name (in the blue red of Cardiff City).  Others missing through injury are Joey Barton, Alejandro Faurlin, Nedum Onouha, and backup golkeeper Alex McCarthy.  Everyone's favorite QPR player not named Barton will serve the first of his three-match suspension... from playing, not from Twittering.

QPR recorded just their second win all season last week, enough to move them up one spot from rock bottom of the Premier League.  In all competitions, they've lost all but three of their ten matches, failing to even score in half of them.  They are not a good team, though young(-ish) forward and Chelsea fan Charlie Austin has been in good form with three goals in his last four.  On-loan forward Eduardo Vargas has shown why we were interested in his services a few years ago as well, and apparently Adel Taarabt has shed "three stone" overnight and patched things up with the boss.

Previously: Just four Chelsea wins in the seven matches since 1996 does not make for pretty reading, and that includes the infamous 1-0 Interim reverse at the Bridge, which was actually the last meeting between the two sides.  Other than the Torres hattrick-inspired 6-1 win at home, the last 13 matches (dating back to 1994) have been decided by one goal or less (which would of course make those not decided at all).  Save us, Diego Costa!