Marti Cifuentes has no doubts as he shares Bristol City play-off verdict after Reds’ draw vs QPR.

George Earthy’s third goal of the season earned Bristol City a 1-1 draw against QPR at Loftus Road.

QPR manager Marti Cifuentes believes Bristol City can finish in the top six of the Championship after their draw at Loftus Road.

Liam Manning’s team came from behind to draw 1-1 with the Hoops in West London on Saturday. George Earthy’s third goal of the season cancelled out Karamoko Dembele’s first-half opener. The 22-year-old scored Rangers’ first goal after 21 minutes, nodding Nicolas Madsen’s cross past Max O’Leary after slipping past Zak Vyner and Yu Hirakawa.

The Reds recovered quickly after a slow start, with a goal scored by Max Bird and Earthy only nine minutes later. The former played a perfectly weighted pass behind the Hoops’ defence for the West Ham United loanee to chase, and he calmly rolled a right-footed effort past Paul Nardi and into the bottom right corner.

Bristol City’s top six spot remains in their hands after a crucial draw against QPR. READ MORE: Bristol City verdict: Earthy stars, nervy wait for Sykes, but test passes with QPR draw.

Despite a promising start, City were unable to secure a crucial victory, as Nahki Wells and Anis Mehmeti both missed chances in the second half. The point at Loftus Road keeps the Reds in fifth place in the Championship, four points ahead of seventh-placed West Brom. While his side has taken points off the Robins twice this season, Cifuentes believes Manning’s team is more than capable of securing a play-off spot.

When asked if City had the potential to finish in the top six, the Hoops manager replied, “100%.” “I believe they have a good manager. They’re a very well-organised team with a distinct identity. I believe they have good players, including those on the bench today. A good squad, so the trend is present.

“I always value teams that finish strong, and I believe they are in a fantastic moment at the right time of the season. I can’t predict the future because Boro are there, there are other clubs, and Coventry are in excellent form, but I believe they have the talent to be there.”

QPR currently sits 15th in the Championship table, eight points and seven places ahead of Cardiff City and the relegation zone. Although the Hoops have never been in serious danger of dropping into League One, a run of seven games without a win prior to last Wednesday’s victory over Oxford United had raised some concerns in and around Loftus Road.

Join Bristol City Live’s WhatsApp community.

We’ll send Bristol City news, live match coverage, team news, transfers, fixtures, analysis, and other updates directly to your phone via the app.

To join our community, you must already have WhatsApp. Simply click this link and select ‘Join Community’.

Only the Bristol Live team will have access to sign ups and send messages.

We also provide community members with special offers, promotions, and advertisements from ourselves and our partners. If you do not like our community, you are welcome to leave at any time.

To leave our community, click the name at the top of the screen and select ‘Exit group’.

For more information, please read our Privacy Notice.

Throughout the campaign, Cifuentes has emphasised the 50-point mark as the threshold for ensuring the R’s place in the second tier. With that goal achieved following Saturday’s draw, the 42-year-old is starting to look up the table instead of over his shoulder.

“I definitely hope so,” Cifuentes said when asked if 50 points would be enough for safety. “I’ve been talking about 50 points as the first target. The distance after Stoke’s score should be eight points, but with the goal difference, it’s more like nine. That’s all I’ll say about it.

Read more on sportupdates.co.uk