The Queensland Reds, Super Rugby's unpredictable pace-setters, are enjoying the fact they're keeping their fans and rivals guessing as they confront the competition's most predictable side on Saturday night.

The defending champion Bulls are the highly-motivated large obstacles standing in the way of the Reds notching a franchise record sixth straight victory at Suncorp Stadium.

While rising Queensland have hit a new peak, the 2007, 2009 and 2010 title-holders are coming off a 27-0 drubbing by the Crusaders and have been written off as an ageing team on the wane.

Whether the Reds test the "tiring legs" of Victor Matfield's side, though, remains to be seen.

Queensland have been Super Rugby's surprise-packets in more ways than one since coach Ewen McKenzie took them from second last to fifth last season.

Their best win of 2010 came against the Bulls when they played a high-tempo extreme ball-in-hand game to run the South Africans ragged.

But McKenzie has kept virtually the same team which played an ultra-conservative field position game to upset the Stormers 19-6 last weekend in Cape Town.

McKenzie and attack coach Jim McKay have played their cards close to their chest on which tack the Reds will take as they strive for the record streak, and eight in a row at their Suncorp fortress.

"That's the great thing - people are interested and they're guessing," McKay told AAP.

"If you play exactly the same way every single time you become predictable."

The Bulls are one team who don't stray from their tried-and-true plan but McKay, a coach in England for 12 years before linking with the Reds, remains wary about their successful power game.

"The last three years they've been a top team so their recipe and formula has worked very well for them and they have some very good players," he said.

"They remind me a lot of the English teams - they're pragmatic and brutal but they're very good at what they do and you have to stop them.

"It's a huge challenge for us."

The Bulls have pulled a selection surprise by naming Springboks halfback Fourie du Preez on the bench but Queensland aren't smiling about it as they're on guard for what slippery winger Francois Hougaard can bring to the scrum-base role.

"It rings alarm bells for us because he's played eight Tests for the Springboks at No.9 and he'll want to show what he can do

"He brings different threats for us and is a different challenge."

Likewise the Bulls are braced for the carnage the in-form Reds halves of Will Genia and Quade Cooper can bring if they get too much time and space, not only for themselves but for their teammates.

"It's like the days of (Stephen) Larkham and George Gregan where you can't focus too much on them but rather the team because if you focus too much on them they put other people into holes," said Matfield.

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