DERBY days are special.
For supporters, it means passion, rivalry, bragging rights and much, much more.
For players, it's a mixture of the above and the opportunity to play in a fixture with a little bit more added spice than a regular Barclays Premier League match.
R’s attacker Jamie Mackie, for one, is relishing this weekend’s West London derby against Chelsea at Loftus Road, with last season’s memorable 1-0 victory over the Blues in the forefront of the Scotland internationals mind ahead of the visit of Roberto di Matteo’s table-toppers.
“This is the one everyone really wants to be involved in,” he told www.qpr.co.uk
“As players, you relish games like this and I know the fans will be feeling exactly the same.
“Last season’s victory was fantastic for everyone involved, but that’s the past now and it’s up to us to try and replicate that result this weekend.”
A much-changed QPR have so far flattered to deceive this season, with just one point on the board from a possible nine.
However, Mackie - understandably - insists it will take time for the new-look R’s to gel.
“Naturally, it will take time for the squad to gel,” he said.
“There have been a lot of changes here in a very short space of time.
“But we’re all good players and I’m sure we’ll start to produce the goods, hopefully starting this weekend.”
Chelsea, meanwhile, sit at the summit of the division, with an unbeaten record.
Mackie is fully aware of the threat posed by the champions of Europe.
“Chelsea are a very good side and they’ve made a decent start to the season,” he said.
“They’ve had quite a bit of upheaval themselves in terms of changes to the playing personnel, but there’s no doubt that they’ve added great quality to their ranks.
“The likes of Hazard and co. seem to have settled in really quickly, but it’s about what we do on Saturday.
“We know we can beat the best here at Loftus Road, as we proved last season, and it’s up to us to rediscover that winning mentality on Saturday.
“We can turn over the best this league has to offer on our own patch, so I’ve got every confidence.”