skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Ten draws: Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City, Swansea v Arsenal, Birmingham v Cardiff, Fulham v Huddersfield, Millwall v Brentford, Nottingham Forest v Norwich, Inverness v Hamilton, Morton v Forfar, East Fife v Albion, Espanyol v Villarreal.
Best draws: Swansea v Arsenal, Birmingham v Cardiff, Fulham v Huddersfield, Nottingham Forest v Norwich, Inverness v Hamilton.
Best weekend away bets: Newcastle, Blackburn, Partick, Hibernian, Annan, Bristol Rovers.
Best weekend home bets: Burnley, Manchester United, Southampton, West Ham, Ipswich, Reading, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Barnsley, Port Vale.
Pick of the draws: Arsenal's soft centre was exposed when relinquishing a 3-0 lead against Anderlecht in the Champions League. Swansea are as good as, if not better than, Anderlecht and you have to fancy their chances of holding the Gunners. Lowly Birmingham have been given an instant lift by new manager Gary Rowett, drawing away at Wolves and beating Watford at St Andrew's. Although they are notoriously poor at home, they can get something from the visit of Cardiff. Fulham and Huddersfield are two of the Championship's most improved teams. They meet at the Cottage and there is little to separate them. By way of contrast, Nottingham Forest and Norwich are on a downer, so don't be surprised if neither gain maximum points. Hamilton lost the leadership of the Scottish Premiership after being held to a home draw by Partick last Saturday. They are more successful away and I believe they will maintain that record against Inverness.
Away days: Newcastle, with four successive wins behind them, are on a roll and will overtake West Bromwich in the Premier League if they win at the Hawthorns on Sunday. Blackburn have a good opportunity to move into the Championship play-off positions with a victory over struggling Brighton. They showed what they could do on their travels when they won 3-1 at Nottingham Forest two weeks ago. Partick, who have not won away in the Scottish Premiership, visit St Mirren, who have not won at home. However, Partick are in better form, as was seen in their 3-3 draw at title contenders Hamilton last weekend. Hibernian are getting up a head of steam after a terrible start to the season in the Scottish Championship and should be backed at bottom club Cowdenbeath. In Scottish League Two, the claims of promotion-seeking Annan cannot be ignored at Elgin while in the FA Cup first round, relegated Bristol Rovers, who are steadily climbing the Vanarama Conference, are well worth a punt at League Two strugglers Tranmere, who have won only once at home this season.
Homes sweet homes: Bottom club Burnley are overdue a win in the Premier League and I think they will get it against Hull, whose progress is being hampered by injuries. Ipswich have regained their confidence after a brief stumble and are fancied against Watford, who have been toppled from the top of the Championship. Reading have underachieved so far but they remain a tough nut to crack at home and I expect them to see off the better-placed Charlton. There are bound to be the usual surprises on the weekend of the FA Cup first round. I've a feeling that much-improved Port Vale knocking out the highly regarded MK Dons will be one of them.
Pools info: Motherwell v Dundee United (No 23 on the coupon) and Cordoba v Deportivo La Coruna (42) are void.
Ten draws: Everton v Swansea, Manchester City v Manchester United, Huddersfield v Nottingham Forest, Rotherham v Middlesbrough, Bradford City v Doncaster, Colchester v Port Vale, MK Dons v Swindon, Burton v Plymouth, Mansfield v Southend, Kilmarnock v Dundee.
Best draws: Everton v Swansea, Rotherham v Middlesbrough, Bradford City v Doncaster, Burton v Plymouth, Mansfield v Southend.
Best weekend away bets: Tottenham, West Ham, Ipswich, Preston, Shrewsbury, Wycombe.
Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Cardiff, Watford, Wolves, Peterborough, Sheffield United, Cheltenham, Exeter, Northampton, Tranmere.
Pick of the draws: Swansea returned to form when beating Premier League newcomers Leicester 2-0 last weekend and can never be underestimated. They will find Everton tougher opponents but should come away from Goodison Park with a point. Promoted Rotherham are nobody's patsies in this season's Championship and I believe they will follow their draws against Fulham and Brighton with another stalemate against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough. Bradford City continue to disappoint in League One. They host Doncaster, who are better on their travels than at home and must be confident of at least parity. Burton, third in League Two, have lost their manager Gary Rowett to Birmingham as well as Rowett's backroom staff. This will probably have an adverse effect on the team, who host fast-climbing Plymouth on Saturday. League Two Mansfield have experienced three consecutive draws. I'm taking them to make it four against Southend, who have slipped out of the play-off places.
Away days: Tottenham are hardly inspiring confidence in the Premier League but they are in better shape than Aston Villa, who cannot buy a goal let alone a point at the moment. I expect Tottenham to repeat last season's victory at Villa Park. West Ham are buzzing and last Saturday's 2-1 win against champions Manchester City will have done wonders for their morale. Given the form they are in, West Ham have no need to fear a trip to Stoke. The Championship's bottom club Blackpool have the second lowest points total in the top four divisions. They are also without a manager and I cannot see Ipswich making life any easier for them. Preston go from strength to strength in League One and have cut Bristol City's lead at the top to two points. They visit Rochdale, who are not half as good at home as they are away. Shrewsbury have their sights on promotion from League Two and gave Chelsea a hard game in the League Cup. It would be foolish to ignore their chances at lowly Dagenham & Redbridge. Wycombe lost the League Two leadership last weekend but I reckon they will bounce straight back at Oxford.
Homes sweet homes: Exeter are on the upgrade in League Two. They had a noteworthy
2-0 success at Morecambe last Sunday and can upset leaders Luton, although the Hatters have lost only once on the road. Northampton can arrest their surprising slide down the table by defeating AFC Wimbledon. The Cobblers put up a spirited show in their narrow defeat at Luton last Saturday and you can never be sure which Wimbledon is going to turn up. Second from bottom Tranmere are already responding to the new management of former Port Vale boss Mickey Adams and are well worth a punt against Stevenage, who are often brittle on their travels.
Pools info: Norwich v Bolton (No 15 on coupon) and St Johnstone v Motherwell (46) are void while Ross v Aberdeen (45) will be decided by the pools panel.
I scored five out of 10 with my draw selections last week and three of my five best draws were correct. Make sure you follow me every week.
Ten draws: West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough v Watford, Sheffield Wednesday v Norwich, Crewe v Sheffield United, Port Vale v Leyton Orient, Yeovil v Rochdale, Luton v Northampton, Inverness v Dundee United, Partick v St Johnstone, Hibernian v Hearts.
Best draws: Middlesbrough v Watford, Sheffield Wednesday v Norwich, Crewe v Sheffield United, Port Vale v Leyton Orient, Hibernian v Hearts.
Best weekend away bets: Everton, Rotherham, Cardiff, Peterborough, MK Dons, Rangers.
Best weekend home bets: Southampton, Tottenham, Bolton, Nottingham Forest, Preston, AFC Wimbledon, Shrewsbury, Wycombe, York, Dundee.
Pick of the draws: Watford lost the leadership of the Championship in midweek but they are impressive on their travels and their 3-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday was as convincing as they could wish for. They are well capable of holding fellow promotion contenders Middlesbrough to a draw. Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich, who meet at Hillsborough, have gone off the boil lately and I don't believe either of them will return to winning ways. Three consecutive victories have hauled Crewe off the bottom of League One. Their opponents on Saturday, the highly rated Sheffield United, will still start favourites but I've a hunch that Crewe will avoid defeat. Leyton Orient must be wishing they played all their League One matches away. Their 2-0 midweek triumph at Doncaster was their third on the road this season, whereas they are without a victory at home. However, they won't find it easy at Port Vale, who are fighting to preserve their status. Scottish Championship leaders Hearts are unbeaten, having dropped only one point all season. They travel to their fierce Edinburgh rivals Hibernian on Sunday. Because of Hibernian's sudden improvement, I think Hearts will have to settle for parity.
Away days: As predicted in this blog last week, Everton returned to form when comfortably beating Aston Villa. They should continue their climb up the Premier League table by defeating struggling Burnley. Promoted Rotherham are holding their own in the Championship and must fancy their chances at Brighton, who cannot buy a win at the moment. Cardiff are responding well to new manager Russell Slade. Home wins over Nottingham Forest and Ipswich respectively have turned things around, so have a punt on them opening their away account at Millwall. Peterborough were handicapped in midweek when they played with 10 men for most of their 1-0 defeat at Crewe. As long as that game didn't take too much out of them, they should be too strong for Coventry, who are slipping towards the League One relegation zone. Promotion contenders MK Dons look good value for maximum points at Doncaster, who have won only once on their own ground. Rangers, nine points behind leaders Hearts in the Scottish Championship, will be eager to make up lost ground and can do so at Dumbarton.
Homes sweet homes: Bolton are worth supporting against Brentford. They are already improving under new manager Neil Lennon and have moved off the bottom of the Championship. Also, Brentford have become goal-shy, firing blanks in their past two matches. Lowly York are without a home win in League Two this season but they can put that right against mediocre Mansfield. Only a stoppage-time goal denied York victory at Morecambe in midweek and I'm taking them to gain maximum points on Saturday. In the Scottish Premiership, Dundee, who have not won at home, play Hamilton, who have not lost away. Logic points to an away victory but football's a funny old game and I sense an upset is on the cards.
Pools info: Aberdeen v Motherwell (match No 43 on the coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.
Ten draws: Stoke v Swansea, Birmingham v Bolton, Reading v Derby, Chesterfield v Oldham, Peterborough v Barnsley, Scunthorpe v Colchester, Dagenham & Redbridge v Newport, Mansfield v Cambridge, Stevenage v Accrington, Motherwell v Dundee.
Best draws: Birmingham v Bolton, Scunthorpe v Colchester, Dagenham & Redbridge v Newport, Mansfield v Cambridge, Stevenage v Accrington.
Best weekend away bets: Chelsea, Bristol City, Doncaster, Swindon, Shrewsbury, Kilmarnock.
Best weekend home bets: Everton, Fulham, Ipswich, Wigan, Notts County, Preston, Rochdale, Plymouth, Hearts, Rangers.
Pick of the draws: I expect the Championship's bottom club, Bolton, to get an immediate lift from the appointment of former Celtic boss Neil Lennon as manager and I'll be surprised if they don't nick something from their visit to Birmingham. Scunthorpe's 3-0 win at Gillingham in League One last Saturday was rather distorted in that Gillingham played with 10 men for most of the match. They surely won't find it so easy against Colchester, who have climbed out of the relegation zone. Dagenham & Redbridge arrested their League Two slump with a fine 2-1 victory at Accrington last weekend. Newport will probably provide stiffer opposition and deadlock is the likeliest result. Cambridge's 5-1 thrashing of Oxford caught the eye last weekend but Mansfield also had a good result when drawing 1-1 at Portsmouth. This looks the best draw on the coupon. Visitors Accrington will be eager to make up for last Saturday's lapse and can do so at Stevenage, who are going the wrong way.
Away days: Premier League leaders Chelsea lost at Crystal Palace last season but I cannot see a repeat of that result at Selhurst Park on Saturday. After seven matches Jose Mourinho's side have dropped only one point and I'm expecting them to maintain their progress. Bristol City, top of League One, have collected more points than any of the other 91 Football League clubs. They look a formidable outfit and should be too strong for Coventry, who have disappointed so far. Doncaster have been better on their travels than on their own patch and they are worth a punt at fast-fading Fleetwood. Nobody is playing better than third-placed Swindon at the moment and they should be backed at Yeovil, who have dropped into the relegation zone. Despite being well placed in League Two, Shrewsbury have yet to win on their travels. I believe they'll break their duck at struggling York. In the Scottish Premiership, Kilmarnock are a decent bet to prevail at off-colour St Johnstone.
Homes sweet homes: It's surprising to see Everton so close to the foot of the Premier League. They are better than that and I'm taking them to stop the rot against Aston Villa, who have stumbled after their flying start to the season. Fulham look a different proposition under Kit Symons. The Championship table suggests they have no chance against leaders Norwich but they are capable of collecting maximum points at Craven Cottage. Wigan, promotion contenders last season, have been one of the letdowns of 2014-15. They hover just above the relegation places but in their 2-2 draw at Wolves there were signs they were emerging from their slump. I reckon they'll improve their league position by beating Brentford.
Ten draws: Barnsley v Bradford City, Colchester v Fleetwood, Morecambe v Wycombe, Tranmere v Plymouth, Aldershot v Bristol Rovers, Altrincham v Woking, Barnet v Kidderminster, Dover v Chester FC, Forest Green v Gateshead, East Stirling v Queen's Park.
Best draws: Barnsley v Bradford City, Tranmere v Plymouth, Aldershot v Bristol Rovers, Altrincham v Woking, Barnet v Kidderminster.
Best weekend away bets: Peterborough, Coventry, Yeovil, Hearts, Germany, England.
Best weekend home bets: Gillingham, Sheffield United, Accrington, Carlisle, Exeter, Luton, Portsmouth, Shrewsbury, Hibernian, East Fife.
Pick of the draws: Bradford City are unbeaten away from home in League One. They should keep that record on Sunday at Barnsley, who have disappointed on their own ground. However, Barnsley gained a creditable away win against Rochdale last Saturday and won't let Bradford have all their own way. Plymouth have made significant strides in League Two recently but they are poor travellers, having already lost four times on the road this season. Tranmere, third from bottom, desperately need points and I think they will pinch one on Saturday. Bristol Rovers have climbed into promotion contention in the Conference and look good for a share of the spoils at mid-table Aldershot. Altrincham's 3-1 victory at FC Halifax last weekend was one of the upsets of the season. That should give them the confidence to hold promotion-seeking Woking. Barnet's midweek defeat at Macclesfield reduced their lead at the top of the table to three points. Don't be surprised if visiting Kidderminster also inconvenience them.
Away days: Peterborough's results in League One have held up well away from home and I'm taking them to gain another three points at Crawley, who are flaky. Although Coventry are without an away win, it is impossible to overlook their chances at rock-bottom Crewe, who have collected only four points this season and keep suffering heavy defeats. Improving Yeovil should be backed at Port Vale, who have slipped into the relegation zone. Hearts have won seven of their eight matches in the Scottish Championship and lead the table by six points. They will surely add lowly Alloa to their list of victims. Germany have had a slight hangover since their World Cup triumph but I expect it will be business as usual in their European Championship qualifier in Poland. England will have been relieved to have won in Switzerland and shouldn't find Estonia half as difficult in their qualifier on Sunday.
Homes sweet homes: League Two strugglers Carlisle are responding well to the management of Keith Curle. I believe they will follow up last Saturday's fine 3-0 win at manager-less Hartlepool with another three points against Stevenage. Promoted Luton moved into the play-off places by deservedly beating Stevenage away last weekend. They seem to be over their recent rough patch and have a fighting chance against fellow promotion contenders Southend. Shrewsbury have dropped just one point at home this season. I'm taking them to improve that record against Cheltenham, whose progress has stalled.
Pools info: The matches at Doncaster (No 6 on coupon), MK Dons (8), Swindon (12), Cowdenbeath (37), Falkirk (38), Stranraer (44), Annan (45), Berwick (46) and Elgin (49) will be decided by the pools panel. Ayr v Dunfermline (41) is being played on Friday and is therefore void.
