Queens Park Rangers will be looking to continue their promising start to the 2021/22 campaign by booking their place in the third round of the League Cup tonight.
Set to face Oxford United at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, the Hoops enter this particular clash as favourites due to the fact that their opponents currently reside in the third-tier of English football.
Although QPR have yet to suffer defeat during the new term, they cannot afford to underestimate Karl Robinson's side who will be determined to cause a shock today.
Whereas the likes of Jordan Archer, Andre Dozzell and Jimmy Dunne may be given the opportunity to start in this meeting, QPR manager Mark Warburton will not call upon the services of Todd Kane.
Kane was not handed a shirt number for the current campaign after falling out favour earlier this year and has been linked with a move away this month.
As covered by GIVEMESPORT, a recent report from Football Insider suggested that Stoke City and Coventry City were both looking into the possibility of signing the full-back from QPR.
It is understood that both clubs are looking to strengthen their options in this particular position before the transfer window closes.
In a fresh update, Stoke's transfer stance regarding Kane has now become clearer.
Making reference to the defender, Potters manager Michael O'Neill has revealed that the club are not interested in signing the QPR defender.
Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke (as cited by the Stoke Sentinel), O'Neill said: "It's the first time I've heard about it [signing Kane] so I would suggest not."
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
With Stoke no longer in the running for Kane's signature, it will be intriguing to see whether Coventry now decide to step up their transfer pursuit of the Hoops man.
Currently behind Moses Odubajo and Osman Kakay in the pecking order at QPR, Kane will be forced to watch on from the sidelines for the foreseeable future if he is unable to make an exit in the coming days.
Keeping this in mind, the Hoops ought to try and step up their negotiations with a potential suitor as they may be able to seal a respectable fee for the defender due to the fact that his current contract expires in 2022.
By reinvesting the money generated from Kane's departure in their squad, QPR could potentially go on to achieve a great deal of success at this level in his absence.
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