Pools tips and best bets for weekend of August 15-16

Ten draws: Tottenham v Stoke, Fulham v Brighton, Ipswich v Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley v Burton, Bury v Swindon, Port Vale v Gillingham, Carlisle v Cambridge, Newport v Stevenage, Plymouth v Portsmouth, Dundee v St Johnstone.

Best draws: Ipswich v Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley v Burton, Port Vale v Gillingham, Newport v Stevenage, Plymouth v Portsmouth.

Best weekend away bets: Arsenal, Rochdale, Leyton Orient, Accrington, Hartlepool, Hearts.

Best weekend home bets: Manchester City, Swansea, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Oldham, Peterborough, Sheffield United, Crawley, Partick, Dunfermline.


Pick of the draws: Sheffield Wednesday have recorded two convincing wins from their opening two matches, so they'll be going to Ipswich with plenty of confidence. Ipswich have not made the most dynamic of starts in the Championship and they may have to settle for a draw. Promoted Burton have come out of the traps quickly in League One and will be looking for at least a point at Barnsley. Gillingham's 4-0 trouncing of Sheffield United was one of the upsets of last weekend. However, Port Vale won't roll over and will have been encouraged by their midweek League Cup victory over Championship team Burnley. Newport and Stevenage lost their opening League Two fixtures last Saturday and also made early exits from the midweek League Cup. With both teams taking time to find their feet, a draw is the likeliest result here. A much-changed Portsmouth side will want to improve their away form this season but should find Plymouth tricky opponents.

Away days: Arsenal's home defeat by West Ham in the Premier League last Sunday was a real coupon-buster and they will be determined to return to winning ways at Crystal Palace, where they have an impressive record. Rochdale are one of the more attractive teams in League One and can prove it at Blackpool, who are in a sorry state after their relegation last season. Relegated Leyton Orient won their League Two game against Barnet last Saturday and nearly knocked MK Dons out of the League Cup in midweek. They will surely be too good for Dagenham & Redbridge, who have shipped seven goals in their first two matches. Accrington, who gained a creditable home draw against Luton, are worth a punt at Morecambe, who have so far failed to score. Hartlepool, with two wins from two, must fancy their chances at York, who crashed 3-0 at Wycombe last weekend. Promoted Hearts lead the Scottish Premiership with three wins from three games and a trip to Ross should hold no fears.

Homes sweet homes: Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion so convincingly last Monday that I'm taking them to put one over the Premier League champions Chelsea, where all is not well. Last Saturday's 2-2 home draw against Swansea seemed to confirm that. Although promoted Bristol City have lost their opening two matches, I believe they will stop the rot against Brentford, who may regret their decision to dispense with the services of manager Mark Warburton. Sheffield United's 4-0 away loss to Gillingham last Saturday was a slap in the face but I'm confident they'll recover quickly. That's why I'm backing them to make the most of ground advantage against Chesterfield. I expect Partick, of the Scottish Premiership, to pile on more misery for bottom-of-the-table Kilmarnock.

Pools Info: Liverpool v Bournemouth (No 3 on coupon) will be decided by the pools panel. Aston Villa v Manchester United (1) and Notts County v Mansfield (43) are void.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of August 8-9

Ten draws: Leicester v Sunderland, Blackburn v Wolves, Leeds v Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City, Coventry v Wigan, Crewe v Port Vale, Swindon v Bradford City, Cambridge v Newport, Hartlepool v Morecambe, Mansfield v Carlisle.

Best draws: Blackburn v Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City, Coventry v Wigan, Cambridge v Newport, Hartlepool v Morecambe.

Best weekend away bets: Southampton, Derby, Sheffield United, Millwall, Luton, Hibernian.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Bournemouth, Everton, Birmingham, Cardiff, Burton, Leyton Orient, Oxford, Stevenage, Raith.


Pick of the draws: Wolves were a whisker away from the Championship play-offs last season and they can carry that momentum into this campaign with a point at Blackburn. Bristol City won League One in such convincing fashion that they will feel confident of getting something from their trip to Sheffield Wednesday, who were so inconsistent last season. Ailing Coventry and relegated Wigan will be looking for better campaigns this time around but I'm plumping for a stalemate on Saturday. Eleven home defeats let Cambridge down in League Two but I'll be surprised if they lose to Newport, who faded at the final hurdle last season. Hartlepool's escape from almost certain relegation was one of the stories of last season but they face a tricky task against Morecambe, who are better away than at home, having won nine times on their travels.

Away days: Newcastle, despite a change of manager and two summer signings, still don't inspire confidence and Southampton, their Premier League visitors on Sunday, can come away with three points. Derby will be keen to make up for last season's late collapse in the Championship, so take a punt on them beating Bolton. In League One, Sheffield United, now managed by Nigel Adkins after Nigel Clough's unexpected dismissal, are worth a gamble at Gillingham and relegated Millwall should start well by winning at promoted Shrewsbury. In the Scottish Championship, Hibernian look too strong for Dumbarton.

Homes sweet homes: Of the three promoted teams to the Premier League, I believe Bournemouth are most likely to stay up. I'm taking them to make the most of ground advantage against Aston Villa, who have lost Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph this summer. Promoted Burton look a force to be reckoned with in League One under the management of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and I'm backing them to take maximum points against Scunthorpe. Teddy Sheringham will be eager to make an immediate impact as manager at Stevenage, who reached the League Two play-offs last season. I've a hunch he'll begin with a victory over relegated Notts County.

Pools info: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City (No 10 on the coupon) will be decided by the pools panel. Brighton v Nottingham Forest (15) is void.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 23-24

Ten draws: Crystal Palace v Swansea, Manchester City v Southampton, Malaga v Sevilla, Cesena v Cagliari, Genoa v Inter Milan, Udinese v Sassuolo, Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayer Leverkusen, Paderborn v VfB Stuttgart, Rennes v Lyon, Toulouse v Nice.

Best draws: Crystal Palace v Swansea, Manchester City v Southampton, Genoa v Inter Milan, Paderborn v VfB Stuttgart, Toulouse v Nice.

Best weekend away bets: Manchester United, Dundee, Valencia, Sampdoria, Verona, Monaco.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Everton, Leicester, Stoke, Hamilton, Preston, Aberdeen, Marseille, St Etienne.


Pick of the draws: Crystal Palace have lost their last three home games and will be anxious to avoid four consecutive Premier League defeats at Selhurst Park. Winning 3-1 at Anfield last Saturday gave them a huge boost and I believe they will at least share the spoils with an impressive Swansea team. Manchester City have woken up too late to stop Chelsea running away with the title. Southampton, fresh from thrashing Aston Villa 6-1 last weekend, are still in contention for a Europa League place and a draw at the Etihad is not beyond them. Inter Milan have had a mediocre season and will probably be denied victory at Genoa, who won well at Atalanta last weekend. Paderborn are bottom of the German League and I expect their relegation to be confirmed with a draw against third-from-bottom VfB Stuttgart, who could also go down. Toulouse should celebrate avoiding relegation in the French League with a point against mid-table Nice.

Away days: A win for Manchester United on Sunday will see Hull drop out of the Premier League. United are far from perfect but they should be good enough to end the season with three points. I fear Hull sealed their own fate when they lost at home to relegated Burnley two weeks ago. Dundee are better away than at home in the Scottish Premiership and are well worth a punt against their fierce rivals Dundee United on Sunday. United have gone right off the boil and last Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Inverness Caledonian Thistle reflected that. Valencia are fancied to finish their Spanish League season in style against relegation-threatened Almeria and Sampdoria, seventh in the Italian League, should be too strong for lowly Empoli. Mid-table Verona look a banker at relegated Parma while Monaco, Arsenal's conquerors in the Champions League, are a confident selection at Lorient.

Homes sweet homes: Everton, deserved 2-1 winners at West Ham last Saturday, are aiming for a top-half finish in the Premier League and I believe they will achieve it by defeating sixth-placed Tottenham, who seem to have switched off recently. Stoke have improved under manager Mark Hughes and maximum points against disappointing Liverpool will round off their season nicely. Preston have a terrible record in play-offs but I'm taking them to end their jinx at Wembley on Sunday when they face Swindon in the League One final. 

Pools info: Lazio v Roma (match No 27 on coupon) is being played on Monday and will be judged by the pools panel.

That's it for now: I'll be back with my pools tips and best bets when the new football season starts in early August. Until then, have a happy and prosperous summer.

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

Ten draws: Manchester United v Arsenal, Southampton v Aston Villa, Swansea v Manchester City, Tottenham v Hull, Villarreal v Malaga, Verona v Empoli, Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt, VfB Stuttgart v Hamburg, Lille v Marseille, Nantes v Lorient.

Best draws: Manchester United v Arsenal, Swansea v Manchester City, Tottenham v Hull, Verona v Empoli, Nantes v Lorient.

Best weekend away bets: Stoke, Newcastle, Leicester, Hamilton, Motherwell, St Etienne.

Best weekend home bets: Liverpool, West Ham, Norwich, Dundee, Partick, Stenhousemuir, Bristol Rovers, Rangers, Real Sociedad, Roma.

Pick of the draws: Arsenal will want to bounce back quickly from their unexpected home defeat by Swansea on Monday. A draw against Manchester United will put them in pole position to finish third in the Premier League and I believe that's what they'll get at Old Trafford. Arsenal's FA Cup sixth-round victory at United this season has removed some of the fear factor while United are still not wholly convincing. What Swansea did to Arsenal, they are capable of doing to second-placed Manchester City, although City have regained some of their swagger recently, beating Tottenham away and thrashing relegated Queens Park Rangers 6-0 at home. However, the Swans look good for at least a point. Hull, who have slipped into the relegation zone, are desperate for a good result at Tottenham. Luckily for them, Spurs seem to have switched off completely after failing to reach the Champions League places, so it wouldn't surprise me if they stumble against Hull.

Away days: Stoke are on course to end the season in the top half of the Premier League and must rate their chances at already-relegated Burnley. Newcastle, just one place away from the drop zone, have a heaven-sent opportunity to record a rare victory. They travel to bottom club Queens Park Rangers, whose relegation was confirmed when they lost 6-0 at Manchester City last weekend. Leicester, with six wins from their past seven matches, are poised to complete a remarkable escape from relegation. They will travel to Sunderland's Stadium of Light full of optimism and boosted by the fact that Sunderland have won only four matches at home all season - the joint lowest number in the Premier League. In the Scottish Premiership, Hamilton will be confident of taking all three points from lowly Ross and I expect Motherwell to have too much for relegated St Mirren. 

Homes sweet homes: West Ham have found it hard going since Christmas but they will want to end their home programme on a high. I believe they will do so against Everton, who have taken one step forward and two back this season. I expect Norwich to reach the Championship play-off final by overcoming their fierce rivals Ipswich in the semi-final second leg at Carrow Road on Saturday. In the Scottish Premiership, Dundee, who were unlucky to lose to Inverness Caledonian Thistle last weekend, are worth a punt against runners-up Aberdeen, as are Partick against Kilmarnock. Bristol Rovers play Grimsby in the Conference play-off final at Wembley on Sunday. My money's on Rovers.

Pools info: West Bromwich v Chelsea (No 9 on coupon), Fiorentina v Parma (23) and Napoli v Cesena (25) will be judged by the pools panel. 

Betting info: I scored eight out of 10 with my home selections last weekend. Aston Villa, Manchester City, Stoke, Queen's Park, Brora, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Bordeaux all obliged.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 9-10

Ten draws: Leicester v Southampton, Celta Vigo v Sevilla, AC Milan v Roma, Genoa v Torino, Lazio v Inter Milan, Udinese v Sampdoria, Eintracht Frankfurt v Hoffenheim, Cologne v Schalke, Marseille v Monaco, Toulouse v Lille.

Best draws: Leicester v Southampton, Genoa v Torino, Lazio v Inter Milan, Marseille v Monaco, Toulouse v Lille.

Best weekend away bets: Manchester United, West Bromwich, Norwich, Partick, Rangers, Celtic.

Best weekend home bets: Aston Villa, Everton, Manchester City, Stoke, Alloa, Queen's Park, Brora, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Bordeaux.


Pools info: Arsenal v Swansea (No 1 on coupon) has been moved to Monday and will be a pools panel judgment. Einar v Espanyol (15), Hamburg v Freiburg (36) and PSG v Guingamp (46) are being played on Friday and are therefore void.