elicited cheers of, Cooop! from an audible contingent of

Ian Holloway is back with his Sky Bet EFL predictions with some mouth-watering clashes from across the Championship, League One and League Two. There is plenty of action across Sky Sports this weekend, After QPR v Brentford live on Friday night, its the turn of Blackburn and Wolves on Saturday evening, before another derby - this time in the Midlands - as Birmingham welcome local rivals Aston Villa to St Andrews on Sunday afternoon live on Sky Sports 2 HD. Les Ferdinands journey Les Ferdinand is cycling to Amsterdam but the journey with QPR might be his biggest challenge. You can follow all the 3pm games across the three leagues on Soccer Saturday with highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms at full-time - but heres what EFL expert and Sky Sports pundit Holloway is predicting for a selection of 10 games this weekend: Blackburn v Wolves (Saturday, 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports 1)Im watching this one in the studio, and Ill go for a surprising Blackburn win. I think losing their manager would have shaken Wolves. Sky Sports News HQs Pete Colley has the latest from the Wolves training ground. as Zenga departs less than three months after taking over. I dont understand why they sacked Walter Zenga. I think its the modern way football clubs are sold on. It hasnt worked out how they wanted so the Chinese owners have got rid of him but you have to ask, what can you do in that sort of time? OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-0 with Ben Marshall to score first (Sky Bet odds 50/1) Blackburn vs Wolves October 29, 2016, 5:15pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Birmingham v Aston Villa (Sunday, 12pm, live on Sky Sports 2)I wish I was going to this one with Steve Bruce going back to his old stomping ground. I think it will be too tight to call but it will be a really exciting game with goals. Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Fulham. Bruces start has been brilliant. It is exactly what they needed. I dont know why the players didnt respond to Roberto Di Matteo but it just proves that Bruce and Neil Warnock know what theyre doing. Some of us managers are pretty good!OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-2 with Lukas Jutkiewicz to score first (Sky Bet odds 70/1) Birmham vs A Villa October 30, 2016, 11:30am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Preston v Newcastle (Saturday, 3pm)Its deja vu! I hope it doesnt go the same way for Preston like the 6-0 defeat it midweek and it will be a totally different situation. Preston are really good at home but Newcastle are looking like the real deal at the minute. OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-2 with with Mo Diame to score first (Sky Bet odds 35/1) Highlights of the EFL Cup round of 16 match between Newcastle and Preston. Brighton v Norwich (Saturday, 3pm)I think Brighton will just edge it. With Chris and his team at home and Norwich losing in midweek on penalties, I think Brighton will grind it out between two of the best teams in the division. They are very difficult to play at the Amex. I think it will be a tight game, not that high scoring. OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-0 with Glenn Murray to score first (Sky Bet odds 22/1) Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Wigan and Brighton. Derby v Sheffield Wednesday (Saturday, 3pm)These fixtures are much better than the Premier League, theyre fantastic! Derby last week just lost 1-0 to Huddersfield and boy, do they need to win this game. Can I see them doing it, that is the question? I cant unfortunately and I think Steven Fletcher will score first. He hasnt got many but hes a high quality player. Steve McClaren needs to get his Derby side believing in themselves again, says Holloway Derbys problem is goals. They need to get more balls into the box and more bodies. I think they are an attacking team and they need to try and blitz every game if they can. Its much more entertaining and its what Steve McClaren had them doing before.Derby need to start believing in themselves as a group, not just individuals and Im sure if they can get a couple of goals at the weekend, that might help them but Sheffield Wednesday are gradually creeping up in the play-offs and getting better. I think Wednesday will be too much for them although for Derbys sake, I hope Im wrong. OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-2 with Steven Fletcher to score first (Sky Bet odds 45/1) Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Huddersfield and Derby. Fulham v Huddersfield (Saturday, 3pm)I dont know which Fulham is going to turn up, they are like Jekyll and Hyde. They are brilliant one week and not quite so good the next. They have plenty of talent and are trying to build a young team but they do have a bit of inexperience. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. I fancy Huddersfield to keep going again after David Wagners celebration when beating Derby. Everyone was writing them off when they lost two in a row, will it be three? I just cant see them losing another.OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-2 with Nahki Wells to score first (Sky Bet odds 35/1)Cardiff v Wigan (Saturday, 3pm)Neil Warnock is working his magic again and I can only see that continuing. Wigan need to sort out who they want as their manager and get going again. They play some wonderful football and won the division last year but now they are struggling a little bit and need some more goals really. Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Nottingham Forest and Cardiff. Im going to give first goalscorer to resurgence of Peter Whittingham and his left foot. Its like a wand, they should call him Harry Potter!OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-1 with Peter Whittingham to score first (Sky Bet odds 66/1)Bolton v Port Vale (Saturday 3pm) Bolton move up to second in League One following a 2-0 victory at neighbours Bury. Two good teams but I fancy Bolton to nick it. At that stadium, it is very tough to go there. It is a proper ground and Phil Parkinson will have them really well organised. They will be big and strong and I think it will just be too tough of a task for Port Vale. Theyll be too hard to break down.OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-0 with Zach Clough to score first (Sky Bet odds 20/1)Sheffield United v MK Dons (Saturday, 3pm) Highlights of the Sky Bet League One match between Bradford and Sheffield United. I can only give this to Sheffield United. They are really on a roll now and I can only see them getting stronger. MK Dons have got to decide who they want in charge and go for it but I think they will struggle this weekend. OLLIE PREDICTS: 3-0 with Billy Sharp to score first (Sky Bet odds 35/1)Fridays prediction...QPR v BrentfordI can only go with a home win. I think QPR have settled back down, Brentford are playing a lot better as well but I fancy a home win. QPR will just have enough in their tank to beat them so Im going to go for a 1-0, very close fought victory. OLLIE PREDICTED: 1-0 and Nedum Onuoha to score first Also See: Les Ferdinand’s journey Bruce: Changes paying off Rafa keeps focus on promotion Transfer Centre LIVE! Julian Edelman Patriots Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. Rob Gronkowski Womens Jersey . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. http://www.patriotsjerseysauthentic.com/Tom-Brady-Super-Bowl-Jersey/ . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Stephon Gilmore Youth Jersey . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Andre Tippett Womens Jersey .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. NEW ORLEANS -- For Oakland coach Jack Del Rio, calling for a do-or-die, 2-point conversion was less a gamble than a philosophical declaration.Del Rio had no interest in a conservative point-after kick, and let his offense know it well before the decision had to be made. So when Derek Carr hit Seth Roberts for a 10-yard touchdown to cut New Orleans lead to a single point with 47 seconds left, kicker Sebastian Janikowski stood far from the action, helmet at his side, watching as Carr delivered a decisive fade pass to Michael Crabtree for a 35-34, season opening victory Sunday.Everyone knew about our strategy, said Del Rio, now in his second season with Oakland. I didnt really ask for any feedback there. I said, `When we score here, we are going to go for 2 and win it right here.His Raiders had already demonstrated considerable resolve just to get to that point.Oakland had to overcome a 14-point, second-half deficit and a 424-yard, four-touchdown performance by Drew Brees.The belief and trust that coach has in us gives us so much confidence, Carr said.Brees called the late 2-point try gutsy, but not surprising.Youll see that from time to time. You feel like you have the momentum, and lets dial it up and lets win the game, Brees said. I could see us doing that.FURIOUS FINISH: After the Raiders took their late lead, they still had to sweat out rookie kicker Wil Lutzs last-second field goal attempt from 61 yards, which narrowly missed wide left as the Superdome crowd briefly erupted before realizing the kick was no good.I thought it was good off my foot, Lutz said. The ball moved on me.Jalen Richard ran 75 yards for a touchdown on his first NFL carry and Amari Cooper caught Carrs pass for a 2-point conversion to briefly tie the game at 27 in the middle of the fourth quarter.But Brees marched New Orleans for another score, highlighted by a 57-yard completion that receiver Willie Snead fumbled and rookie wideout Michael Thomas recovered and advanced to the Oakland 2. That set up Travaris Cadets short touchdown catch, giving New Orleans a 34-27 lead.New Orleans nearly held on, but Saints linebacker Craig Robertson was flagged for interference on a fourth-down pass that sailed out of bounds.Im not going to start the season off complaining about the officials. We have to play better, Saints coach Sean Payton said. That was just one play.BIG NUMBERS: Brees eclipsed 400 yards passing for the 14th time in his career, tying Peyton Manning for the most such performances in NFL history.dddddddddddd Snead finished with nine catches for 172 yards, including fourth-down, 1-yard TD catch in the first half.Carr finished with 319 yards and one touchdown passing against a Saints defense coached by his former Raiders head coach, Dennis Allen. The Raiders rushed for 167 yards, including touchdown runs of 6 yards by Latavius Murray and 2 yards by Jamize Olawale.RECORD TD: Brees touchdowns included a franchise-record 98-yarder to Brandin Cooks, who beat Sean Smith in single coverage and raced away from free safety Reggie Nelson. It was a career-long passing play for Brees as well.Brandin got a great release, I threw it up to him and he did the rest, Brees said. He looked like Usain Bolt running down the sideline there.Previously, Billy Joe Hobert and Eddie Kennison owned the Saints longest scoring play -- a 90-yard connection against Atlanta on Oct. 10, 1999. The Saints previous longest play from scrimmage was as 96-yard passing play from Billy Kilmer to Walter Roberts on Nov. 19, 1967, the franchises inaugural season.COOPED UP: Cooper, familiar to fans in the Gulf South from his college days at Alabama, elicited cheers of, Cooop! from an audible contingent of Raiders fans in the Superdome with a couple receptions for long gains. He finished with six catches for 137 yards.CAREER KICKOFF: Lutz made two of four field goal attempts -- missing twice from 50 or more yards -- in his NFL debut. Payton made the surprising move of cutting veteran incumbent kicker Kai Forbath in favor of Lutz this past week after the undrafted rookie out of Georgia State had been waived by Baltimore. Lutz hit his first field goal from 42 yards. He also handled kickoffs and hit a 20-yard field goal that was tipped.I like this guy a lot, Payton said of Lutz. Hes going to be kicking long after I am coaching here. Hes really talented. There are obviously going to be some bumps along the way.INJURIES: Raiders right tackle Menelik Watson left the game late in the first half with what team officials said was a groin pull. Saints starting cornerback Delvin Breaux left the game with an undisclosed lower left leg injury. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Ken Crawley, who was covering Crabtree on the decisive 2-point play.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '