Pools tips for weekend of March 16-17

Ten draws: Swansea v Arsenal, Blackburn v Burnley, Derby v Leicester, Middlesbrough v Birmingham, MK Dons v Tranmere, Yeovil v Swindon, Bristol Rovers v Rochdale, Wycombe v Northampton, York v Port Vale, Livingston v Falkirk.

Best draws: Derby v Leicester, MK Dons v Tranmere, Yeovil v Swindon, Bristol Rovers v Rochdale, York v Port Vale.

Five aways: Manchester City, Liverpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Barnet.

Nine homes: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Tottenham, Wigan, Blackpool, Wolves, Coventry, Doncaster, Notts County.

Pick of the draws: Neither Derby nor Leicester are doing themselves justice in the Championship at the moment and I cannot see either obtaining maximum points on Saturday. MK Dons have fallen out of promotion contention from League One and their opponents, Tranmere, are also wobbling. This looks one of the best draws on the coupon. Yeovil have been one of the surprise packets of the season and can sustain their promotion charge by holding Swindon. In League Two, Rochdale won so convincingly against Wycombe last weekend (4-1) that they will believe they can get something at upwardly mobile Bristol Rovers. Promotion-seeking Port Vale have hit the wall recently and have a tricky fixture at York, who have been boosted by the appointment of Nigel Worthington as manager. 

Away days: Everton will have been disheartened by their shock 3-0 FA Cup exit to Wigan at Goodison Park and Manchester City (5-0 winners over Barnsley) are in the mood to cash in. A top-four finish is a possibility for Liverpool and their hopes will be raised by victory at Southampton, who are still in the relegation mix. Bolton are making a bold bid for the Championship play-offs and they must fancy their chances at Ipswich, who are languishing at the other end of the table. Bournemouth ended their barren run in League One by beating Stevenage in midweek and appear a sound bet at struggling Oldham. In League Two, Barnet, under Edgar Davids' managership, are beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel and are worth backing at bottom-of-the-table Accrington.

Homes sweet homes: Aston Villa gained a crucial Premier League win over fellow strugglers Reading last Saturday and will be confident of following that up when they host basement club Queens Park Rangers. It's time relegation-troubled Wigan gave a performance in front of their own supporters. If they play half as well as they did in beating Everton in the FA Cup last week, it could come against Newcastle on Sunday. Wolves are in dire danger of suffering two consecutive relegations after falling to 23rd in the Championship. However, I've a hunch they will gain three welcome points at the expense of Bristol City, the only club below them in the table.