Tuesday 10 February 2015 23:32, UK
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has warned his players not to be the first this season to drop points at home to QPR when they face them at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night
Caretaker-boss Chris Ramsey will take charge of the R’s for their trip to Wearside following Harry Redknapp’s resignation last week.
Ramsey will look to end his side’s run of defeats on the road, with the Londoners having lost all 11 away games they have played in the Premier League this season.
Poyet admits he would be surprised to see QPR go the whole campaign without securing at least a draw on their travels and is determined Sunderland will not be the ones to succumb.
"If you asked me if I would expect any team to lose every single game away from home in one season, I would say to you: 'No',” said Poyet.
"Now that they can go one extra in the wrong way, it's up to us. Of course they have got a part to play, but sooner or later it should change, I suppose.
"I would be very surprised if they don't get any points in the whole season away from home, very, very surprised."
QPR suffered injuries to key players in their 1-0 home defeat to Southampton on Saturday, with defenders Richard Dunne and Nedum Onuoha, along with striker Charlie Austin, ruled out of the trip to Sunderland.
Austin did not suffer a broken foot against the Saints, as had originally been feared, but his absence offers Poyet a welcome boost after Austin scored the only goal when the two sides met at Loftus Road in August’s reverse fixture.
I would be very surprised if they don't get any points in the whole season away from home, very, very surprised.
“When you have got a player like Austin who is making the difference and winning games for you – like he did against us - if he doesn't play, it should be a bonus,” added Poyet.
"When a big player is missing, the other team should take advantage."
Sunderland are 14th in the table, just four points above the relegation zone, but a recent upturn in form has offered renewed optimism to the club’s supporters, with Poyet keen to keep the momentum going.
"The idea is not to stop. We need to keep going, we need to keep believing. We knew halfway through the season that we had plenty of important games at home,” he said.
"We were not very good at home in the first part of the season, so we need to improve that, and that means winning games.
“We have got another great opportunity (against QPR), so it's just playing the game to win as much as we can without excuses."
