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

Ten draws: Burnley v West Ham, Manchester United v Brighton, Newcastle v Bournemouth, Birmingham v Fulham, Hull v West Bromwich, Reading v Luton,  Dumbarton v East Fife, Falkirk v Airdrieonians, Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund, Paderborn v Augsburg.

Best draws: Burnley v West Ham, Newcastle v Bournemouth, Hull v West Bromwich, Falkirk v Airdrieonians, Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Manchester City, Torquay, Burton, Rangers, Ayr, Cowdenbeath.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Leicester, Leeds, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool, Sunderland, Celtic, Partick, Raith, Queen's Park.

Pick of the draws: Burnley's normally mean defence has taken a bit of a battering recently - seven goals conceded in the past two matches - and this has probably dented their confidence for Saturday's fixture against West Ham, who have also fallen into the bottom half of the Premier League. Although Newcastle played their best football of the season when beating West Ham 3-2 away last Saturday, there's no guarantee they'll do the same to Bournemouth, who are just outside the top six and have tightened defensively. Hull's 3-0 away success against Fulham was perhaps the outstanding result of last weekend and has put them in the mood to deny Championship leaders West Brom victory. Airdrieonians, of Scottish League One, have more away wins than anyone in the division, so they shouldn't fear a trip to leaders Falkirk, who are only two points above them. Fourth-placed Bayern Munich may still be feeling the effects of their 5-1 thrashing at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend and I believe Borussia Dortmund, who are second, will hold them.

Away days: I've a feeling that Manchester City will rise to the occasion at Anfield on Sunday and inflict Liverpool's first Premier League defeat of the season. City are six points behind the leaders and cannot afford to come off second best. In the first round of the FA Cup, Torquay, flying high in the National League, should account for Maidstone and League One Burton ought to have too much for Salford, of League Two. Rangers, level on points with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, will be disappointed if they come up short at Livingston. Ayr, second in the Scottish Championship with four away wins to their name, are recommended at Queen of the South, as are Cowdenbeath, third in Scottish League Two, at Annan.

Homes sweet homes: Leicester, who are third in the Premier League on merit and scoring for fun, will relish facing Arsenal, who are notoriously brittle and haven't won away since the opening weekend of the season. Sheffield Wednesday, just outside the Championship play-off positions and improving under new manager Garry Monk, could end Swansea's unbeaten away record at Hillsborough. Bottom club Partick, who have lost all their home games in the Scottish Championship, face Morton, who have lost all their away matches. I think ground advantage will be the decisive factor here.

Pools info: Norwich v Watford (No 7 on coupon) and Dundee v Dundee United (30) are void because they are being played on Friday evening.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of November 2-3

Ten draws: Bournemouth v Manchester United, Everton v Tottenham, Sheffield United v Burnley, Charlton v Preston, Derby v Middlesbrough, Leeds v Queens Park Rangers, Gillingham v Rotherham, Portsmouth v Oxford, Cheltenham v Forest Green, Aldershot v Maidenhead.

Best draws: Everton v Tottenham, Sheffield United v Burnley, Charlton v Preston, Derby v Middlesbrough, Cheltenham v Forest Green.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall, Leyton Orient, Northampton, Bromley.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Brighton, West Ham, Brentford, Fulham, Coventry, MK Dons, Mansfield, Scunthorpe, Ayr, Barrow.

Pick of the draws: Everton are a much better proposition at home than away and should gain at least a point against Tottenham, who are struggling to find the consistency of last season. Promoted Sheffield United are coping surprisingly well with the demands of the Premier League but Burnley's fighting qualities shouldn't be underestimated and they can pick up something at Bramall Lane. Preston, who recovered from 2-0 down to beat Blackburn last Saturday, deserve to be second in the Championship and are playing well enough to deny Charlton victory. When two off-form sides, such as Derby and Middlesbrough, play each other, a draw is often the most likely outcome. Cheltenham v Forest Green is League Two's match of the day as both are promotion contenders. While Cheltenham have the attacking flair, Forest Green have the meanest defence, which is why I believe this will end all square.

Away days: Leicester are third in the Premier League and look as if they are going to stay there. Having put nine goals past Southampton last Friday, they will probably score the required number at Crystal Palace on Sunday. By all accounts high-flying Sheffield Wednesday had the better of their home goalless draw with Leeds in the Championship last weekend and will be confident of defeating ailing Blackburn. Millwall, who have a new manager in Gary Rowett, are recommended at relegation-troubled Reading. Leyton Orient's away form in League Two is holding up and should see them through at bottom club Morecambe. Northampton's surge has put them just outside the play-off positions and they look a sound bet at goal-shy Oldham. Bromley are top of the National League and I expect them to remain there after Saturday's visit to lowly Wrexham.

Homes sweet homes: MK Dons' slide down League One is due to be halted on Saturday when they host Tranmere, who seem equally vulnerable. Although Colchester's League Cup progress continued to the quarter-finals when they won at Crawley in midweek, I've a hunch that Mansfield, who are slowly improving, will beat them in League Two. Scunthorpe are third bottom but may have turned the corner and I'm tipping them to win their basement clash with Stevenage.

Pools info: Barnsley v Bristol City (No 11 on coupon) is void and Stoke v West Brom (21) will be judged by the pools panel.

I correctly forecast six draws last weekend and three of my five best draws came up.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of October 26-27

Ten draws: Arsenal v Crystal Palace, West Ham v Sheffield United, Birmingham v Luton, Swansea v Cardiff, Burton v Blackpool, Forest Green v Crewe, Macclesfield v Bradford City, Northampton v Cambridge, Salford v Scunthorpe, Livingston v Hearts.

Best draws: West Ham v Sheffield United, Swansea v Cardiff, Forest Green v Crewe, Salford v Scunthorpe, Livingston v Hearts.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Wolves, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Doncaster, Cheltenham, Queen of the South.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Manchester City, Watford, Bristol City, Huddersfield, Preston, Fleetwood, Oxford, Leyton Orient, Stevenage, Kilmarnock.

Pick of the draws: Sheffield United, as shown in their 1-0 home win over Arsenal on Monday, are more than holding their own in the Premier League and a share of the spoils at West Ham - up one minute, down the next - shouldn't be beyond them. Swansea have fallen from their Championship perch recently and they will want to stop the rot against their fierce rivals Cardiff, who have yet to win away this season. Crewe have climbed to the top of League Two on the strength of their away record. That will be tested to the limit by fellow promotion contenders Forest Green but I believe they'll past that test. Scunthorpe's 3-1 home victory over Exeter in midweek will have done wonders for their confidence and I fancy they'll deny Salford. Lowly Hearts stopped Rangers from going top of the Scottish Premiership last Sunday with a hard-earned draw and I predict another stalemate when they visit Livingston.

Away days: Wolves have regained a bit of their swagger in the past few weeks and will approach Sunday's trip to Newcastle with confidence. Manchester United played well to hold Liverpool last weekend and should go one better at Norwich, who are struggling after an encouraging start to the season. Although Portsmouth's League One campaign has been disappointing so far, they can make some amends at Bristol Rovers, who have suffered two consecutive losses. Doncaster's 7-1 rout of Southend in midweek completed a very impressive week for the Yorkshire team and they are recommended at Tranmere, who are fighting relegation. Cheltenham's rise in League Two is one of the surprises of the season but they are second on merit and tipped to beat off-form Grimsby. Queen of the South, having defeated leaders Dundee United 4-0 last Saturday, face less daunting opponents in Alloa.

Homes sweet homes: Watford, who were five minutes away from their first Premier League win of the season at Tottenham last Saturday, can get off the mark against Bournemouth, who are erratic. Although still in the Championship relegation zone, Huddersfield look more settled under new managership and I think they'll come out on top when they host Barnsley in a bottom-of-the-table clash. Stevenage have returned to the foot of League Two but I've a feeling that ground advantage will prevail when they host Morecambe, who are just above them.

Pools info: Queens Park Rangers v Brentford (No 17 on the coupon) has been moved to Monday and will be judged by the pools panel.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of October 19-20

Ten draws: Aston Villa v Brighton, Hull v Queens Park Rangers, Stoke v Fulham, Wigan v Nottingham Forest, Doncaster v Bristol Rovers, Gillingham v Peterborough, MK Dons v Coventry, Northampton v Salford, Motherwell v Aberdeen, Arbroath v Morton.

Best draws: Aston Villa v Brighton, Stoke v Fulham, MK Dons v Coventry, Northampton v Salford, Arbroath v Morton.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Arsenal (Monday), Swansea, Preston, Ipswich, Leyton Orient, Macclesfield.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Bournemouth, Tottenham, Wolves, Brentford, Cardiff (Friday), Leeds, Bolton, Tranmere (Friday), Colchester, Plymouth.

Pick of the draws: Brighton's decisive 3-0 home victory over Tottenham saw them climb two points above the Premier League relegation zone and should have put Aston Villa, their hosts, on red alert, even allowing for Villa's 5-1 win at Norwich on the same weekend. Bottom club Stoke gained their first Championship success of the season with a last-minute goal at high-flying Swansea. Stoke won't find it easy against fluent Fulham but will be encouraged by the way they played in Wales. MK Dons v Coventry is a tussle between two off-form sides in League One and a point each is the most likely outcome. The League newcomers Salford, with two consecutive wins behind them, shouldn't fear a trip to Northampton, who are moving in the opposite direction in League Two. Morton, who have lost all four away matches in the Scottish Championship, have a chance to end that miserable sequence at Arbroath, who are two points and two places worse off.

Away days: Arsenal have probably learnt from their mistakes in a 2-2 draw at Watford last month and  ought to account for promoted Sheffield United next Monday. I'm backing Swansea to recover from their shock home defeat at the hands of Stoke by taking three points at lowly Barnsley, who have sacked their manager. Free-scoring Preston are only a point off the top of the Championship and should relish a trip to Reading, who have slid into the relegation zone. Ipswich, unbeaten in 11 games and leading League One by four points, are fancied to prevail at struggling Accrington. Leyton Orient, having gained two wins in a row in League Two, are worth a wager at Grimsby, who have faded recently, and Macclesfield look good value at ailing Oldham.

Homes sweet homes: Although Brentford are below Millwall in the Championship, they are more highly rated and I believe they'll make the most of ground advantage in the London derby on Saturday. Cardiff's home form has kept them in the top half of the table and I'm tipping them to gain maximum points at the expense of Sheffield Wednesday on Friday. Bolton, rock bottom of League One and with a 12-point deduction to boot, are gradually becoming more competitive and they are definitely worth supporting against Rochdale. It would be their first league win this season.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of October 12-13

Ten draws: Peterborough v Lincoln, Rochdale v Accrington, Crawley v Colchester, Exeter v Forest Green, Swindon v Plymouth, Stockport v Dagenham & Redbridge, Darlington v Boston, Denmark v Switzerland, Slovenia v Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina v Finland.

Best draws: Rochdale v Accrington, Crawley v Colchester, Exeter v Forest Green, Swindon v Plymouth, Denmark v Switzerland.

Six aways: Crewe, Port Vale, Bradford City, Hartlepool, Maidenhead, Croatia.

Ten homes: Bristol Rovers, Coventry, Portsmouth, Southend, Scunthorpe, Barrow, Eastleigh, Halifax, Yeovil, Poland.

Pick of the draws: Accrington twice fought back from a goal down in their drawn League One home fixture against Oxford last Saturday and are moving away from the relegation zone. I expect them to at least take a point at Rochdale, who have yet to win at home this season. Colchester, who sit just outside the League Two play-off positions, number Tottenham among their recent conquests and should come away from mid-table Crawley with a draw. Forest Green leapfrogged Exeter last weekend to become League Two's new leaders. They give very little away - only six goals conceded in 12 matches - and I think they will still be heading the table after Saturday's clash in Devon. Despite Swindon's seventh placing, their home form is nothing to write home about, which gives visitors Plymouth a sporting chance. The away teams will be strongly backed in this weekend's European Championship qualifying games but Denmark, who entertain Switzerland, may buck the trend.

Away days: Crewe's fine away record is mostly responsible for their top-four placing in League Two, so they should not fear a trip to lowly Carlisle. Port Vale's improvement has not gone unnoticed and I'm taking them to gain their first away victory of the season when they travel to Macclesfield. Morecambe's wait for their first home win is expected to continue as Bradford City, their high-flying visitors, look poised to take maximum points. A last-minute goal enabled Hartlepool to gain a morale-boosting home win over fast climbers Yeovil in the National League last Saturday and they will travel to Aldershot with confidence. Maidenhead, who are better away than at home, are recommended at bottom club Ebbsfleet and Croatia, last year's World Cup finalists, will probably be too strong for Wales in the European Championship.

Homes sweet homes: Portsmouth have yet to hit their stride in League One but they have played two fewer matches than most of the rest and their position is a false one. They have my backing against Gillingham on Saturday. Southend, second from last in League One, face Wimbledon, who are only one place above them. Although Southend are without a home win, I've a hunch that ground advantage will be the decisive factor here. Scunthorpe are in trouble in League Two but don't be surprised if they upset inconsistent Northampton, who are capable of losing to anybody.

Pools info: Burton v Bolton (No 3 on coupon), Cheltenham v Newport (10) and Wrexham v Chesterfield (30) have been postponed and will be judged by the pools panel.