QPR vs. Chelsea: Confirmed lineups

This is Mourinho's first ever visit to Loftus Road, but he knows the lay of the land already.

"In a derby there is no small team and there is no big team."

"A derby is a derby with all the emotion that creates around it so it is true it is more difficult for London teams."

-Jose Mourinho; source: Chelsea FC

UP THE BLUES!

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QPR starting lineup (4-4-2):
Rob Green | Clint Hill, Steven Caulker, Nedum Onuoha, Mauricio Isla | Karl Henry, Joey Barton, Sandro, Matt Phillips | Bobby Zamora, Charlie Austin

Substitutes from: Alex McCarthy, Armand Traoré, Niko Kranjcar, Richard Dunne, Junior Hoilett, Reece Grego-Cox, Brandon Comley

Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Thibaut Courtois | César Azpilicueta, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanović | Cesc Fàbregas, Nemanja Matić | Eden Hazard, Willian, Ramires | Didier Drogba

Substitutes from: Petr Čech, Kurt Zouma, Filipe Luis, Mikel, Oscar, Juan Cuadrado, Izzy Brown

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Hearing rumours of Remy out injured..... That would be a massive blow for #CFC

— Sam Matterface (@sammatterface) April 12, 2015

It would appear that the pre-game rumors are true, and Loïc Rémy managed to get himself injured at the exact worst time.  With most of the youth away in Switzerland for UEFA Youth League semifinal (Friday) and final (tomorrow), options are even more limited.  So Drogba it is.  The BIG man for the somewhat big occasion.  18-year-old Izzy Brown gets the backup spot on the bench.

The rest is mostly as expected, though Ramires gets the nod over Oscar, leading to the usual pre-match quandary of not knowing exactly where he will play.

4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid; let's go.  Oh, and Mikel's back!