Pools tips and best bets for weekend of August 16-17

Ten draws: West Bromwich Albion v Sunderland, Birmingham v Brighton, Rotherham v Wolves, Crawley v Swindon, Oldham v Leyton Orient, Peterborough v MK Dons, Walsall v Bradford City, Plymouth v Exeter, Southend v Stevenage, Celtic v Dundee United.

Best draws: Birmingham v Brighton, Rotherham v Wolves, Oldham v Leyton Orient, Southend v Stevenage, Celtic v Dundee United.

Best weekend away bets: Tottenham, Blackburn, Wigan, Derby, Bury, Raith.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, Reading, Bristol City, Doncaster, Burton, Luton, Wycombe.

Pick of the draws: Birmingham and Brighton recovered from weekend setbacks by winning their first round League Cup ties. I expect Brighton to be among the Championship promotion contenders this season and they should be capable of sharing the spoils at St Andrew's. Two promoted teams from League One, Rotherham and Wolves, meet at the Yorkshire club's ground. Both are strong enough to adapt to a higher division and this fixture looks one of the best draws on the coupon. Leyton Orient suffered an opening-day defeat at home against Chesterfield but I suspect that it was merely an off day and I fancy them for a point at Oldham. Relegated Stevenage will surely be more at home in League Two and I'm backing them to hold Southend to a draw at Roots Hall. In the Scottish Premiership, there are signs that Celtic are not the force they were. Their weekend opponents, Dundee United, had a terrific 3-0 win at Aberdeen on the opening day of the season, so don't be surprised if they deny the Scottish champions victory.

Away days: The vibes at West Ham during the close season have not been encouraging and Tottenham can open their Premier League account with an away win. Spurs will also be eager to put one over their opponents, having lost twice to them last season. In the Championship, Blackpool are in such disarray that it is impossible to overlook Blackburn for maximum points at Bloomfield Road. Wigan have begun the season sluggishly but they are formidable on their day and I believe their day may come at Charlton on Saturday. Derby are one of the favourites for promotion, having fallen, unluckily, at the final hurdle last season. They have won their first two games and I think they will make it three at Sheffield Wednesday.  League Two Bury gave Bolton a scare before bowing out of the League Cup. That sort of performance should be enough to overcome Hartlepool, who shipped six goals at Port Vale. Raith began their Scottish Championship season by beating Dumbarton and I expect them to do the same to Alloa.

Homes sweet homes: Promoted Queens Park Rangers are my fancy to get off to a Premier League flyer against Hull, who were close to the drop last season. Reading will be keen to make up for last season's disappointing conclusion to their promotion hopes in the Championship and can bank three home points against inconsistent Ipswich. Another promoted club, Luton, will probably be the best supported side in League Two. They had a morale-boosting victory at Carlisle last weekend and can follow it up by defeating AFC Wimbledon. Wycombe already seem a different proposition to the team who struggled to stay in the Football League last season and are well worth a punt against Carlisle, who are on a downer.


Pools info: Burnley v Chelsea (match No 2 on the coupon) is being played on Monday, so is subject to a pools panel verdict.