Mike Holden on the EFL: Ollie to rain on Robins' parade

QPR v Bristol City
Championship, Saturday 15:00

QPR were top of the shortlist for this weekend's action before the midweek Carabao Cup ties had even been played. But the manner of Bristol City's heroics against Manchester United - and fervent post-match celebrations - only reinforces the suspicion that Lee Johnson's men could be running on empty at Loftus Road. Under the circumstances, Rangers ought to be favourites.

A home game against the Red Devils would be a big deal for most teams at Championship level but it's clear this wasn't just a cup tie for the Robins, it was the culmination of something much bigger. The whole club has been revamped over the past few yearsand the triumph against Jose Mourinho's men is rightly being regarded as a significant landmark in that development.

It's a project that should bring Premier League football to Ashton Gate eventually, and could yet lead to promotion this season. But while City evidently peaked for their big date with Jose Mourinho's men, standards had been slipping in the weeks leading up to the United game, even if it wasn't fully apparent in their results.

Now they come up against old adversary Ian Holloway (pictured), a staunch Rovers man who would love nothing more than to rain on their parade. Rangers have already beaten Wolves and Sheffield United at home this season, their 2-1 victory over the leaders arriving in not dissimilar circumstances to this. The Old Gold had taken Manchester City to a penalty shoot-out four days earlier.

The Hoops scored late to beat Birmingham last weekend, ending a ten-month stretch without an away win and dumping Blues on the the bottom of the table in the process. More importantly, though, it also put a stop to a miserable sequence in which the R's had taken only one point from six matches since the beginning of November.

Recommended bets:
1pt QPR to beat Bristol City at 2.92
1pt QPR/QPR Half Time/Full Time at 5.10

Peterborough v Bury
League One, Saturday 15:00

Chris Lucketti's first month in charge at rock-bottom Bury has been low key to say the least - but that might not be a bad thing. The Shakers were already out of the FA Cup when the former Scunthorpe assistant picked up the reins from caretaker Ryan Lowe, while a relegation six-pointer at home to second-from-bottom Wimbledon was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

So Lucketti has had ample time to assess his new troops without giving too much away to opposition dugouts and he now welcomes back Stephen Dawson and Danny Mayorahead of the trip to London Road. The Lancashire club might be five points adrift of safety but if they reach anything like their potential, they can make a mockery of the 4.50 available on the away win here.

As a former centre back, it should come as no surprise that Lucketti has prioritised the need to tighten up at the back and a narrow defeat at Portsmouth last weekend was understandable given how comfortable a Kenny Jackett team tends to be when faced with a war of attrition. In the end, a Matt Clarke header from a corner on the hour settled that contest.

But Peterborough, by contrast, can labour under a pressure to entertain and 1-0 home defeats to Gillingham and Blackpool in October and November provide ample evidence of how things can unravel whenever they fail to take a game by the scruff of the neck. Since beating title favourites Wigan in late September, Posh have only picked up 12 points from 13 matches.

Grant McCann's men did get back to winning ways at Fleetwood last weekend, scoring twice in the dying minutes to turn a 2-1 deficit into 3-2 success, but they must now prepare for a spell without winger Gwion Edwards who was substituted early on at Highbury Stadium with damaged ankle ligaments, and it could upset the balance.

It wasn't a problem last week when replacement Danny Lloyd, a summer signing from Stockport County, scored the winner to complete a hat-trick Marcus Maddison assists. But we can rest assured that Bury won't be overly concerned by Lloyd when preparing for this challenge, they will focus nearly all of their attention on Maddison.

Lucketti already knows plenty about Posh, having plotted their downfall alongside Graham Alexander at Glanford Park two months ago, and he was also victorious on this ground with Scunny last season. So he clearly has sufficient knowledge of the division to accompany the quality of personnel and this could be the catalyst for a Bury revival over the festive period.

Recommended Bets:
1pt Bury to beat Peterborough at 4.50
0.5pt Bury 1-0 correct score at 17.00
0.5pt Bury 2-0 correct score at 32.00