'Cup clash will give more insight than friendly'

QPR head coach Julian Stephan says he is not preparing for the season opener in the Carabao Cup against Millwall any differently than if it were a league game. In a break from tradition, the campaign will not begin with the opening Championship game, which will be away to Portsmouth on August 15. But Stephan said the season start will be a huge occasion either way. "I don't make any distinction between league and cup. It is just a competitive game. "We need to have that mindset immediately. We know if we win we go through, lose and we wait a year for another game in the Carabao Cup. "It is a restart of the competition. I don't care if it is FA Cup, Carabao Cup or league." Stephan said that starting with a competitive game earlier in the season will give him more insight into where his team is than if it was a friendly match. "The result will not define the quality of our season. But for sure, we will have more intensity on Saturday. Competitive football is different to pre-season, we will have more answers." All the latest QPR news