Two more missing ... Rotherham United hit by a new injury and an illness in the camp

Rotherham United boss Matt Taylor. Picture: Jim Brailsford

One of the players who was in the matchday 20 for last Sunday's 2-0 derby defeat to Sheffield Wednesday has a muscle problem while another is suffering from an illness that had kept him out of training all week.

The former has no chance of being fit for Saturday's home match, which pits the 22nd-placed Millers against the side one spot below them in the table, while the latter is a major doubt.

Manager Matt Taylor, choosing not to name either player at a press conference this afternoon, said of the ill member of his squad whom he described as a regular starter: "He's not been in the building since Sunday so he's struggling a little bit.

"Antibiotics might start kicking in so we hope he's got a chance. We'll know more tomorrow."

Rotherham can barely afford more absentees as they already had six men unavailable because of injuries.

Taylor says that centre-half Daniel Ayala, brought in as a free-agent emergency signing last week, is poised to make his debut at some stage against QPR.

"Will he get some game-time? Yes," said the boss. "Probably not from the start but we’ll certainly see him feature and that will be a big boost for us all."

Taylor is looking for a response after an abject display at Hillsborough angered a large away following and saw the Millers lose to the Owls for only the second time in their last 11 trips to S6.

Only five days prior to that, his team had turned in one of their best displays of the campaign to see off Coventry City 2-0 at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Of the QPR contest, the manager said: “Every game is a key game. More so with the feeling around the club and fanbase after Sunday.

“We have to quickly get the fans back on the players' side, get them supporting and believing in that group. Generally they have done that, certainly in our home games.

"I have to take a lead as a manager in picking a certain team to play in a certain type of way, in a manner that says: 'This is us, this is what we look like.'

"We need our fans and hopefully they have a good day. Then, suddenly, we’re talking two wins in the space of three games, which is something we’ve not done all season."