Pools tips and best bets for weekend of February 4-5

Ten draws: Southampton v West Ham, Watford v Burnley, Cardiff v Norwich, Huddersfield v Leeds, Charlton v Fleetwood, Southend v Scunthorpe, Walsall v Northampton, Cheltenham v Newport, Crawley v Stevenage, Grimsby v Luton.

Best draws: Watford v Burnley, Cardiff v Norwich, Southend v Scunthorpe, Walsall v Northampton, Crawley v Stevenage.

Best weekend away bets: Manchester United, Fulham, Wolves, Millwall, Carlisle, Elgin.

Best weekend home bets: Everton, Manchester City, Tottenham, Bristol City, MK Dons, Port Vale, Sheffield United, Blackpool, Aberdeen, Dumbarton.

Pick of the draws: Watford's unexpected midweek win at Arsenal will have given them an enormous lift but promoted Burnley have adapted well to life in the Premier League and will be disappointed if they fail to collect only their second away point of the season. Cardiff, under Neil Warnock, have started looking up rather than down in the Championship while Norwich, their opponents on Saturday, have recovered some of their poise after a dispiriting run of results. Southend, who sit just outside the play-off places in League One, can give as good as they get against surprise but worthy leaders Scunthorpe. Having halted their losing run with a 3-0 home success against Coventry last Saturday, Northampton, now managed by Justin Edinburgh, will be more confident of going to Walsall than was the case a few weeks ago, even if second-placed Sheffield United were one of Walsall's recent victims. Like more than a few teams in League Two, Stevenage are more efficient away than at home and I'm backing them to return from Crawley with a point.

Away days: Manchester United are hitting their stride, although their improvement may have come too late for a Premier League title charge. I expect them to return from Leicester with maximum points. Last season's champions find themselves fighting relegation this term and their midweek defeat at Burnley won't have helped morale. Fulham, who have an outside chance of the Championship play-offs and are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup, won't be fearing a trip to Birmingham, who seem to be in free-fall. A 3-1 midweek victory at Barnsley enabled a revitalised Wolves to move further away from the relegation zone and on Saturday they face lesser opponents in Burton. League One Millwall, fresh from their FA Cup triumph over Watford last Sunday, will surely make their superiority count against bottom club Coventry. Carlisle, third in League Two, have faltered lately but should still have too much for ailing Leyton Orient, who are now without a manager. Elgin, third in Scottish League Two, are a confident selection at Cowdenbeath, who have already lost six at home.

Homes sweet homes: A 4-0 victory at Peterborough last weekend shows that MK Dons are on the upgrade. Don't be surprised if they beat Bolton, whose hopes of automatic promotion from League One are dwindling. Port Vale gave leaders Scunthorpe a fright before going down by the odd goal in five last Saturday. They have a good chance of shaking off their disappointment when they host Peterborough, who have mysteriously gone off the boil. I suspect that Blackpool are better than their mid-table position in League Two suggests and they are worth a wager against higher-placed Colchester.