Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 14-15

Ten draws: Swansea v Manchester City, West Bromwich v Liverpool, Espanyol v Eibar, Sporting Gijon v Villarreal, AC Milan v Roma, Lazio v Fiorentina, Palermo v Verona, Hoffenheim v Schalke, Caen v Bordeaux, St Etienne v Lille.

Best draws: Swansea v Manchester City, West Bromwich v Liverpool, Sporting Gijon v Villarreal, AC Milan v Roma, Palermo v Verona.

Best weekend away bets: Leicester, West Ham, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Hull, Dundee United.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Manchester United, Southampton, Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Juventus, Napoli, Werder Bremen, Aberdeen.


Pick of the draws: Manchester United's midweek defeat at West Ham leaves Manchester City needing only one point to secure Champions League football in 2016-17. I think they will achieve this at Swansea in the final weekend of the Premier League season. City played well last Sunday and arguably deserved better than a 2-2 home draw against Arsenal but Swansea have beaten Liverpool (3-1 at home) and West Ham (4-1 away) in their past two games and will not be accommodating opponents. In normal circumstances I would have had Liverpool down to win at West Bromwich Albion but they play in the Europa League final next Wednesday, which will be a distraction, and there are bound to be key players missing. West Brom will also be anxious to atone for recent home defeats against Watford and West Ham. Villarreal, fourth in the Spanish League, may not have recovered sufficiently from their Europa League semi-final defeat by Liverpool to beat relegation-threatened Sporting Gijon. Roma should at least share the spoils with AC Milan after their successful season in the Italian League. At the other end of the table, relegated Verona, shock 2-1 winners over champions Juventus last weekend, can nick a point off Palermo.

Away days: Premier League champions Leicester have been such a revelation this season that it is impossible to ignore their chances at mid-table Chelsea on Sunday. They have won more matches on the road than the other 19 top-flight teams and I believe they will round off an incredible campaign with another away victory. West Ham are another side whose best results this season have come away from home. Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are among the clubs who have been vanquished by the Hammers and I believe Stoke will suffer the same fate. The race for the Spanish League title goes to the last weekend of their season. Barcelona are in pole position and will surely beat struggling Grenada. Champions League finalists Real Madrid, one point behind Barcelona, will be just as confident of maximum points at Deportivo La Coruna. I believe that Steve Bruce's Hull will be more streetwise than Derby in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final on Saturday. Although Dundee United have been relegated from the Scottish Premiership, they have shown more spirit than second from bottom Kilmarnock, whom they play on Saturday, and are worth a punt.

Homes sweet homes: I suspect that Europa League finalists Sevilla will play with the handbrake on at Athletic Bilbao, who have enough quality to take advantage. Still in the Spanish League, Valencia gave Real Madrid a searching test last weekend before succumbing 3-2 away. A repeat of that form should see them prevail over the better-placed Real Sociedad. Werder Bremen need a win to be certain of avoiding relegation from the German League and I'm confident it will come against lowly Eintracht Frankfurt.

Pools and betting info: That's my lot for this season. Normal service will be resumed in August. Enjoy the summer and the Euros.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 7-8

Ten draws: Sunderland v Chelsea, Tottenham v Southampton, Cardiff v Birmingham, MK Dons v Nottingham Forest, Preston v Leeds, Bury v Southend, Colchester v Rochdale, Port Vale v Walsall, Luton v Exeter, Portsmouth v Northampton.

Best draws: Sunderland v Chelsea, Tottenham v Southampton, Cardiff v Birmingham, Preston v Leeds, Luton v Exeter.

Best weekend away bets: Newcastle, Burnley, Brighton, Burton, Crewe, Cambridge.

Best weekend home bets: Bournemouth, West Ham, Hull, Wolves, Oldham, Peterborough, Accrington, Bristol Rovers, Morecambe, Plymouth.


Pick of the draws: Sunderland's stoppage-time equaliser at Stoke last Saturday may be the point that keeps them in the Premier League. I can see them gaining another against Chelsea. Although the west Londoners' season is ending in anti-climax, they showed their spirit in a fractious derby with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge last Monday when they came back from 2-0 down to draw. The Spurs players, in their vain pursuit of the Premier League title, completely lost their discipline and composure in that match and could feel the effects on Sunday against Southampton, who on their day are a match for the best top-flight teams. Cardiff's faint hopes of a play-off place in the Championship disappeared last weekend when they lost 3-0 at Sheffield Wednesday and they will probably be demotivated against Birmingham. Preston are no stranger to home draws this season and I believe they will share the spoils with Leeds, a side of similar ability. Luton's home form in League Two hasn't done them any favours, which is why I think Exeter will hold them.

Away days: Newcastle have Premier League survival in their sights after beating Crystal Palace at home last Saturday. The victory moved them out of the relegation zone and puts them in good heart for their game at doomed Aston Villa on Saturday. Poor old Villa, whose relegation was confirmed the previous weekend, cannot buy a draw, let alone a win at the moment and will end the season with an embarrassingly low points total. Burnley will replace Villa in the top English division next season and will surely celebrate their promotion by defeating Charlton, who are going down rather than up. The match of the day is probably at Middlesbrough, who have a shoot-out with Brighton to determine who gains automatic promotion to the Premier League. A draw will be sufficient for Boro but I've a hunch that Brighton will be equal to the task and obtain the victory they need. Burton are odds-on favourites to join Wigan in the Championship next season and I'm taking them to finish the job at Doncaster, who are all but down from League One. Although relegated Crewe have had a dreadful season, they may be worth a punt at lowly Fleetwood, who are still not safe from the drop. Crewe got in the mood last Saturday by beating Doncaster 3-1, their first win in ages. Cambridge's up and down season in League Two should end in victory at Mansfield, who have faded out of contention.

Homes sweet homes: Bournemouth's results have gone awry since they made certain of Premier League safety but they have a chance to stop the rot against West Bromwich Albion, who have also switched off since reaching 40 points. Now that Sheffield Wednesday have qualified for the Championship play-offs, they may take their foot off the gas at Wolves, who will be eager to finish their disappointing season with a win at Molineux. Oldham have enjoyed a much better second half to the season under new manager John Sheridan and look good value to end their League One campaign with three points against underperforming Coventry.