Wednesday 29 May 2013

Pools tips for weekend of June 1-2

Ten draws: Deportivo La Coruna v Real Sociedad, Levante v Real Betis, Sevilla v Valencia, Servette v Lucerne, Guadalajara v Lugo, Las Palmas v Numancia, BK Hacken v IF Elfsborg, Banik Ostrava v Jablonec, Jihlava v Slavia Prague, Colorado Rapids v FC Dallas.

Best draws: Sevilla v Valencia, Servette v Lucerne, Las Palmas v Numancia, Jihlava v Slavia Prague, Colorado Rapids v FC Dallas.

Five aways: Germany, FC Zurich, Villarreal, Elche, Malmo.

Nine homes: Brazil, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Grasshoppers, FC Thun, Almeria, Huesca, Helsingborgs, Liberec.


Wednesday 22 May 2013

Pools tips for weekend of May 25-26

Ten draws: Lille v St Etienne, Lausanne Sports v Lucerne, Young Boys v FC Zurich, Kuban Krasnodar v Anzhi Makhachkala, Rubin Kazan v Krasnodar, Alcorcon v Almeria, Girona v Barcelona B, Rec Huelva v Cordoba, Red Bull Salzburg v Austria Vienna, Odd v Sandnes Ulf.

Best draws: Lille v St Etienne, Young Boys v FC Zurich, Alcorcon v Almeria, Red Bull Salzburg v Austria Vienna, Odd v Sandnes Ulf.

Five aways: Nancy, Paris St Germain, Zenit St Petersburg, CSKA Moscow, Sporting Gijon.

Nine homes: Bordeaux, Toulouse, St Gallen, Lokomotiv Moscow, Elche, Lugo, Villarreal, Rapid Vienna, Sturm Graz.


Wednesday 15 May 2013

Pools tips for weekend of May 18-19

Ten draws: Chelsea v Everton, West Ham v Reading, Wigan v Aston Villa, Atalanta v Chievo,  Roma v Napoli, Torino v Catania, Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich, SC Freiburg v Schalke 04, Reims v Lorient, St Etienne v Marseille.

Best draws: Chelsea v Everton, Wigan v Aston Villa, Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayern Munich, Reims v Lorient, St Etienne v Marseille.

Five aways: Arsenal, Manchester United, Valencia, Udinese, Valenciennes.

Nine homes: Liverpool, Manchester City, Southampton, Swansea, Tottenham, Levante, Bologna, Augsburg, Vfb Stuttgart.


Pick of the draws: On-form Chelsea, assured of Champions League football next season, may be a bit jaded after their Europa League final against Benfica while Everton, very impressive in beating West Ham last weekend, will be keen not to lose David Moyes's last match in charge at the club. FA Cup winners Wigan will be deflated after having had their relegation from the Premier League confirmed but they won't want to go out on a losing note against Aston Villa, who will be missing their suspended striker Benteke. Bayern Munich, runaway champions of the Bundesliga, may have next week's Champions League final on their mind when they visit Borussia Monchengladbach, who are no pushovers themselves. Lorient are this season's surprise package in the French League and they are well equipped to share the spoils at Reims. St Etienne and Marseille are well matched and this looks the likeliest three-pointer.

Away days: Arsenal, nine games unbeaten in the Premier League, are ending the season in style and victory at troubled Newcastle will guarantee them Champions League qualification for next season. Runaway champions Manchester United will be eager to give their retiring manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, a winning send-off at the Hawthorns, where mid-table West Brom appear to have switched off. In the Spanish League, Valencia, 4-0 winners at Rayo Vallecano last weekend, look good for maximum points at Getafe. Inter Milan's mediocre season in the Italian League could be made worse by visitors Udinese, who can beat anybody on their day. In the French League, mid-table Valenciennes are worth supporting against fourth-from-bottom Evian.

Homes sweet homes: Southampton have played better than recent results suggest and should be backed against Stoke, who are feeble on the road. Levante are nothing special in the Spanish League but they could surprise better-placed Rayo Vallecano, who crashed to a 4-0 home defeat against Valencia last weekend. In a battle of the strugglers in the Bundesliga, Augsberg should make home advantage count against bottom club Greuther Furth. A little higher up the table, Vfb Stuttgart, convincing 2-1 winners at Schalke 04, will probably be too strong for Mainz.

Pools info: Mallorca v Real Betis (match No 16 on the coupon) will be a panel verdict.  

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Pools tips for weekend of May 11-12

Ten draws: Norwich v West Brom, Stoke v Tottenham, Sunderland v Southampton, Atletico Madrid v Barcelona, Malaga v Sevilla, Fortuna Dusseldorf v Nuremburg, Hoffenheim v Hamburg, Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach, Bastia v Montpellier, Lyon v Paris St Germain.

Best draws: Norwich v West Brom, Stoke v Tottenham, Sunderland v Southampton, Atletico Madrid v Barcelona, Lyon v Paris St Germain.

Five aways: Liverpool, Valencia, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, Nice.

Nine homes: Athletic Bilbao, Real Valladolid, Juventus, Lazio, Parma, Bayern Munich, Schalke, AC Ajaccio, Brest.

Please note: Levante v Real Zaragoza (No 9 on the coupon) and Lille v Reims (No 40) are void while Real Sociedad v Granada (No 13) will be a pools panel verdict.


Pick of the draws: Relegation-threatened Norwich must wonder where their next win is coming from but they can at least take a point from a West Brom team who lost to Wigan last weekend and are becalmed in mid-table. Stoke need only a draw to ensure Premier League football next season and they'll probably get it against Tottenham, who rely too much on double Footballer of the Year, Gareth Bale. A battling Sunderland side gained a precious point against Stoke on Monday despite going down to 10 men and that kind of spirit should serve them well against Southampton, who have faltered recently. It's not often that Barcelona don't win but Atletico Madrid, third in the Spanish League, are well equipped to deny them victory. In the French League, third-placed Lyon are similarly capable of holding leaders Paris St Germain.

Away days: Although Liverpool will be without Luis Suarez (suspended) and Steven Gerrard (injured) they should still have too much for Fulham, whose morale must have been shaken last weekend by their 4-2 defeat at home to relegated Reading. Valencia, impressive 4-0 winners over Osasuna last weekend, are a confident selection to prevail at Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish League. In the German League the claims of Eintracht Frankfurt (at Werder Bremen) and Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund (at Wolfsburg) cannot be ignored while high-flyers Nice look too strong for lowly Evian in the French League.

Homes sweet homes: Bologna's confidence must have been dented by that 6-0 drubbing at Lazio last weekend, so it's worth having a punt on mid-table Parma gaining maximum points against them. Schalke, Arsenal's conquerors in the Champions League group stages, are recommended against VfB Stuttgart. In the French League I believe AC Ajaccio will make the most of ground advantage when they play second-from-bottom Troyes while bottom club Brest could spring a surprise on Sochaux.




Wednesday 1 May 2013

Pools tips for weekend of May 4-5

Ten draws: Burnley v Ipswich, Derby v Millwall, Hull v Cardiff, Nottingham Forest v Leicester, Falkirk v Morton, Livingston v Raith, Arbroath v Alloa, Clyde v Stirling, Getafe v Real Sociedad, Sevilla v Espanyol.

Best draws: Burnley v Ipswich, Hull v Cardiff, Nottingham Forest v Leicester, Arbroath v Alloa, Clyde v Stirling.

Five aways: Aston Villa, Arsenal, Partick, Queen of South, Peterhead.

Nine homes: Liverpool, Tottenham, Bolton, Brighton, Charlton, Huddersfield, Watford, East Fife, Rangers.


Pick of the draws: Burnley keep drawing at home in the Championship while their opponents on Saturday, Ipswich, keep drawing away. There is nothing in the form of either of these sides to suggest that anything will change. Victory will see Steve Bruce's Hull go up to the Premier League but I don't think they will get it against Cardiff, who have already been promoted as champions. Hull have been wobbling and their confidence must have taken a knock in that 2-0 defeat at Barnsley last Saturday. A draw between Nottingham Forest and Leicester will probably leave both tantalisingly outside the play-offs in this the last weekend of the Championship season, but deadlock is the likeliest outcome between two well-matched teams. Second-placed Alloa have gained more points away than at home in the Scottish second division, which encourages me to believe they can hold fourth-placed Arbroath. Stirling's rise from the pits of the Scottish third division has been one of the stories of the season but they know they will have to work hard for a point at Clyde.

Away days: Aston Villa's resounding 6-1 win over Sunderland on Monday has put a different complexion on the Premier League relegation issue. They must now rate their chances of another three points at Norwich, who still need a victory to feel safe. Arsenal, chasing Champions League qualification, must be regarded as an away banker at doomed Queens Park Rangers and one feels that only the self-destruct button can prevent them winning at Loftus Road. Partick have won the Scottish first division by a street and they can celebrate their promotion by beating Dumbarton. Queen of South go up from the Scottish second as runaway champions. It is impossible to oppose them when they travel to bottom club Albion.

Homes sweet homes: Liverpool's 6-0 win at Newcastle last weekend (without Suarez) came right out of the blue and they have a great chance to make Everton feel blue in the derby at Anfield on Sunday. Another incentive is to finish as the top club on Merseyside. Victory would put Liverpool only two points behind their fierce rivals. I fear the worst for Barnsley, who face relegation from the Championship despite a remarkably high points total in the circumstances. They travel to Huddersfield for their final match of the campaign and I believe the on-form hosts will win, thereby guaranteeing their own safety. East Fife's attempts to avoid dropping into the Scottish third division received a boost with an away draw against second division champions Queen of South last Saturday. If they can hold table-topping Queen of South, they must fancy their chances against third-placed Brechin.