NEWCASTLE will attempt to make it six wins in a row tonight when they take on QPR in the Championship.

Here are some of the key talking points ahead of the Magpies’ visit to Loftus Road:

HOW MANY CHANGES WILL RAFAEL BENITEZ MAKE?

Newcastle’s manager has always been a firm believer in the value of squad rotation, and it is pretty much impossible to continually play the same starting XI in a league as physically demanding as the Championship.

There will definitely be changes to the side that started at Derby tonight – they only question is how many. With Newcastle boasting the strongest squad in the whole of the second tier, it could well be as many as half-a-dozen.

Aleksandar Mitrovic and Daryl Murphy will both be desperate to start up front, and there has to be a good chance of the former lining up instead of Dwight Gayle. Ayoze Perez could also be involved from the start, having come off the bench at the Ipro Stadium.

Isaac Hayden, another substitute against Derby, is also likely to start – probably instead of Jack Colback – while at the back, Benitez is spoiled for choice with Grant Hanley, Ciaran Clark, Jesus Gamez and DeAndre Yedlin all champing at the bit for a full 90 minutes.

WILL NEWCASTLE’S NEW-FOUND DEFENSIVE RESOLVE SURVIVE ANOTHER AWAY DAY?

Saturday’s shut-out made it four clean sheets in a row in all competitions, with Newcastle’s last concession having come more than 500 minutes ago as Reading scored from the spot in last month’s 4-1 defeat at St James’ Park.

Since then, the Magpies have been watertight, with the away displays at Bristol City and Derby proving especially impressive. As was the case at Ashton Gate, Benitez’s side never really looked like conceding at the IPro three days ago, with their opponents restricted to a handful of harmless long-range strikes.

Benitez is keen to stress that Newcastle are defending as a team, and the likes of Matt Ritchie and Yoan Gouffran are certainly covering plenty of ground in the wide positions. The latter in particular has been a revelation in the last few weeks.

The same can be said of Vurnon Anita at right-back, with the Dutchman having successfully neutered the dangerous Ikechi Anya at the weekend. Both Anita and Gouffran are emerging as unexpected heroes.

IS MATZ SELS’ IMPROVEMENT A PERMANENT FEATURE?

Since flapping at everything against Bristol City, Sels has produced a couple of much more reliable displays against Brighton and Derby.

His decision-making in both games was much improved, and while Karl Darlow will still be feeling aggrieved on the substitutes’ bench, Benitez’s faith in Sels is beginning to look much less misguided.

Is the Belgian’s improvement a genuine step forward though, or just something of a blip? He hasn’t been unduly tested in either of the last two games, and certainly hasn’t faced anything like the aerial bombardment that caused him such discomfort at Bristol City.

QPR are unlikely to hurl too many long balls into the box tonight, so perhaps he will be able to stay on his line and rely on the defenders in front of him to mop up the danger. At some stage, though, he will have to prove he is comfortable commanding his penalty area.

HOW THREATENING WILL QPR – AND PARTICULARLY STRIKER TJARONN CHERY – BE?

This is QPR’s second season in the Championship, and having spent most of the last 12 months sifting through the wreckage of their relegation from the top-flight, the London club finally find themselves in a position where they are ready to rebuild.

They have started the current campaign reasonably impressively, picking up ten points from their opening six games to sit on the edge of the play-off places, and Loftus Road remains a fairly intimidating environment, with the home fans packed close to the side of the pitch.

Newcastle will have to be especially wary of Dutch striker Tjaronn Chery, who scored his fourth league goal when he netted against Blackburn at the weekend. The 28-year-old cost £2.25m when he moved from Groningen a little over 12 months ago, and looks ideally suited to life in the Championship.

Former Newcastle defender James Perch will be a familiar face in the QPR line-up – ex-Sunderland defender Nedum Onuoha also started last weekend – with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink having assembled a side that boasts plenty of Championship experience.