Pools tips for weekend of October 5-6

Ten draws: Southampton v Swansea, Bournemouth v Millwall, Derby v Leeds, Brentford v Rotherham, Peterborough v Preston, Shrewsbury v Carlisle, Bury v Newport, Portsmouth v Rochdale, Torquay v York, Ross v Aberdeen.

Best draws: Southampton v Swansea, Brentford v Rotherham, Shrewsbury v Carlisle, Torquay v York, Ross v Aberdeen.

                                         Weekend best bets


Aways: Aston Villa, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Watford, Wolves, Dundee.

Homes: Liverpool, Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Stevenage, Swindon, AFC Wimbledon, Exeter, Hearts.

                                      
Pick of the draws: Southampton, lying fifth, are exceeding expectations in the Premier League but Swansea are seldom easy opponents and I'm tipping them to come away from St Mary's with a point. Brentford returned to form by winning at Coventry last Sunday but Rotherham are unbeaten away in League One and were unlucky to lose to fellow promotion contenders Peterborough last weekend. The appointment of Graham Kavanagh as manager has put a spring in Carlisle's step and I'll be surprised if they come away from Shrewsbury empty-handed. York's 4-2 home victory over Portsmouth in League Two last Saturday was possibly one of the more significant results of the weekend. Coming after a 1-1 draw at Wycombe, it appears that York are on the up and they will approach a long trip to Torquay with more confidence. Aberdeen missed a chance to move closer to the Scottish Premiership leaders when they were held 1-1 at St Mirren. I think they will have to settle for another draw - this time at Ross.

Away days: On a good day Aston Villa are capable of beating most Premier League sides. Having defeated Manchester City at home last Saturday, a trip to promoted Hull should hold no fears. I feel there is far more to come from Jose Mourinho's Chelsea than they have shown so far and they can confirm this by defeating Norwich on Sunday. Nottingham Forest look stronger than Brighton in the Championship this season and much the same can be said for Gianfranco Zola's Watford in relation to Huddersfield, whom they visit on Saturday. Promotion-seeking Wolves have already won three games on the road in League One and I believe they will make it four against Colchester. Cowdenbeath are near the foot of the Scottish Championship and Dundee can take advantage of their plight.

Homes sweet homes: Notts County are second bottom in League One but their position should be healthier after they have played a demoralised Crewe on Saturday. Crewe have just one win from nine league matches and the worst goal difference in the division, having suffered heavy home defeats by Walsall and Gillingham. Lowly Stevenage have a good chance of gaining their first home win of the season against Coventry, whose spirited recovery from a 10-point deduction for entering administration has ground to a halt. Hearts have been severely handicapped in the Scottish Premiership by a 15-point deduction. However, they can lift some of the gloom by beating the team immediately above them, St Mirren.

Pools info: Partick v Hibernian (match No 46 on the coupon) has been put back to Monday and will be a panel verdict.