Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Feb 7-8

Ten draws: Burnley v West Brom, Queens Park Rangers v Southampton, Tottenham v Arsenal, Leeds v Brentford, Colchester v Crewe, Port Vale v Bradford City, Scunthorpe v Oldham, Bury v Exeter, Cambridge v Wycombe, Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid.

Best draws: Burnley v West Brom, Tottenham v Arsenal, Leeds v Brentford, Port Vale v Bradford City, Bury v Exeter.

Best weekend away bets: Chelsea, Manchester United, Peterborough, Chesterfield, Burton, Inverness.

Best weekend home bets: Middlesbrough, Millwall, Norwich, Preston, Rochdale, Swindon, AFC Wimbledon, Plymouth, Portsmouth, York.


Pick of the draws: West Brom will want to make amends for their heavy home defeat against Tottenham last Saturday and can do so on Sunday at Turf Moor against Premier League newcomers Burnley, who have faltered recently. Tottenham and Arsenal, two of the in-form teams, clash at White Hart Lane in the early Saturday kick-off. Tottenham's Harry Kane is a striker to be feared and Christian Erikson is a match-winner but Arsenal's newly acquired resilience should earn them a point and it would not surprise me to see a repeat of the 1-1 draw at the Emirates last September. Leeds, with two consecutive wins, are showing signs of climbing the Championship table but they face a tough assignment against Brentford, who have already won seven times on their travels and are genuine promotion contenders. This looks one of the likeliest draws on the coupon. Bradford City's FA Cup heroics have tended to mask their under-achievement in League One, so don't be shocked if they drop points at Port Vale. Exeter, in League Two, are better away than at home and I'm taking them to hold Bury, who have climbed back into the play-off places.

Away days: I cannot visualise Premier League leaders Chelsea letting goal-shy Aston Villa off the hook. Villa, with only 11 league goals this season, are lucky there are four sides below them in the table. West Ham's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League are fading fast and I expect third-placed Manchester United to take advantage of the Hammers' deteriorating form. League One Peterborough are getting back into the groove and are backed to succeed at Fleetwood, whose Highbury Stadium is by no means a fortress. Although Chesterfield sold leading scorer Eoin Doyle to Cardiff for £1m before the transfer deadline, they may still be good enough to defeat Notts County, who have already suffered seven home losses. Burton, second in League Two, are responding to the management of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and will fancy their chances of maximum points at struggling Cheltenham. Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with seven away victories, are my tip to triumph at Partick in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

Homes sweet homes: Millwall's battle to avoid relegation from the Championship received a much-needed boost last weekend when they won at Nottingham Forest. I believe they'll gain another three points when Huddersfield come to visit. Three defeats in a row have damaged Newport's promotion challenge in League Two. Wimbledon are capable of beating most teams on their day and I've a hunch they will leave Newport pointless again. By all accounts, lowly York were desperately unlucky to lose at high-flying Southend last Saturday. Luck often evens itself out and York are well worth a punt against Dagenham & Redbridge, who are only two points better off in League Two.