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

Ten draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Watford v Tottenham, Brentford v Fulham, Bristol City v Middlesbrough, Sunderland v Reading, Aberdeen v Rangers, Ross v Dundee, Airdrieonians v Forfar, Clyde v Montrose, Mainz v Augsburg.

Best draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Watford v Tottenham, Brentford v Fulham, Sunderland v Reading, Ross v Dundee.

Best weekend away bets: Wolves (Monday), Sheffield United, Charlton, Leyton Orient, Hibernian, East Fife.

Best weekend home bets: Bournemouth, Chelsea, Leicester, Bolton, Cardiff (Friday), Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Gillingham, Livingston, Peterhead.


Pick of the draws: Jose Mourinho has lost only once (last season) to an Arsene Wenger team in a competitive match and I think he'll maintain that record when Manchester United visit the Emirates on Saturday evening. United, who are just about keeping leaders Manchester City within reach, won well at in-form Watford in midweek and I fancy them to dent Arsenal's flawless home record in the Premier League this season. Tottenham will be anxious to halt a run of three away league defeats in a row and can do so at Watford, who are not as convincing at home as they are on the road. Brentford have a habit of drawing Championship games they should win. They were at it again on Monday, conceding two injury-time goals at Queens Park Rangers to draw 2-2. I reckon they'll have similar difficulty beating Fulham, who recently scored five at Sheffield United. Struggling Sunderland have been boosted by the appointment of Chris Coleman as manager. They are looking for their first home win this season but Reading, impressive 3-0 home victors over Barnsley in midweek, can deny them. Dundee, second from bottom in the Scottish Premiership, got a much needed boost by defeating Rangers 2-1 at home last Friday. Although their away record is terrible, they can build on that by gaining a point at Ross.

Away days: Wolves, top of the Championship and scoring goals for fun, are highly recommended at Birmingham, who are at the other end of the table. Note the match has been moved to Monday. Sheffield United, in third place, can bounce back from a couple of home lapses with victory at Millwall, who are finding goals elusive. It's the FA Cup second round this weekend and Charlton, sixth in League One, are well worth a punt on Sunday at Wimbledon, whose home is anything but a fortress. Leyton Orient's misery in the National League continues but they will be disappointed with anything other than three points at bottom club Solihull Moors, who have just one home win to their name. Hibernian have not lost away in the Scottish Premiership and if their home form were as good, they would challenging leaders Celtic. Hibs will probably be too strong for lowly Partick. East Fife should relish their trip to bottom side Queen's Park in Scottish League One, especially after scoring six at home to Airdrieonians last Saturday.

Homes sweet homes: Bournemouth, despite losing at home to Burnley in midweek,  should have enough in their armoury to beat Southampton, who are too close to the drop zone for comfort. Leicester climbed into the top half by defeating Spurs 2-1 at home in midweek and I'm taking them to see off Burnley as well. Forget Bolton's 5-1 defeat at Wolves in the Championship last weekend. Bolton manager Phil Parkinson said Wolves were exceptional and will win the division by at least 10 points. Apart from that result, bottom club Bolton have recovered well from a calamitous start to the season and I reckon they'll have too much for Barnsley.


Pools info: Birmingham v Wolves (No 11 on coupon) has been rearranged for Monday and will be assessed by the pools panel. Leeds v Aston Villa (No 17 on coupon) has been rearranged for Friday and is therefore void.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Nov 25-26

Ten draws: Liverpool v Chelsea, Newcastle v Watford, Middlesbrough v Derby, Nottingham Forest v Cardiff, Reading v Sheffield Wednesday, Gillingham v Oldham, Shrewsbury v Bradford City, Cambridge v Stevenage, Exeter v Accrington, Lincoln v Port Vale.

Best draws: Liverpool v Chelsea, Newcastle v Watford, Middlesbrough v Derby, Shrewsbury v Bradford City, Exeter v Accrington.

Best weekend away bets: Manchester City, Everton, Bournemouth, Sunderland, Wigan, Luton.

Best weekend home bets: Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Sheffield United, Wolves, Blackburn, Southend, Barnet, Mansfield, Notts County, Wycombe.


Pick of the draws: Liverpool, so good going forward, have serious issues in defence. Relinquishing a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 against Sevilla in the Champions League in midweek was a worrying lapse and Chelsea are well equipped to take advantage of Liverpool's vulnerability. The Londoners must be fancied to come away with at least a point. Watford are one of the surprise packets of the Premier League and on current form are capable of denying Newcastle victory at St James' Park. Derby are Championship promotion contenders and I expect them to share the spoils with fellow high fliers Middlesbrough. Bradford City's superb away record (six wins, two draws and one defeat) has kept them in the League One promotion frame and I believe they'll get something at leaders Shrewsbury, who unexpectedly lost at bottom club Bury in midweek. Exeter, fourth in League Two, host difficult opponents in third-placed Accrington, who often play their best football away from home.

Away days: Mid-table Huddersfield are finding goals hard to come by and will surely suffer against all-conquering Manchester City, who have dropped only two points in their opening 12 Premier League matches. Everton are one of three teams in the Premier League yet to win away this season. That could change on Sunday when they visit Southampton, who look to be on the slide. Bournemouth, coming off the back of a 4-0 home triumph over Huddersfield last Saturday, will be in a much better frame of mind than their hosts Swansea, who lie second from bottom and are probably in for a long, hard winter. Chris Coleman's first game in charge of Championship strugglers Sunderland ended in a midweek defeat at Aston Villa but Saturday's match at goal-shy Burton is far more winnable. Wigan, second in League One, are admirably consistent this season and they are well capable of taking maximum points at Rotherham. New League Two leaders Luton, 46 goals from 18 matches, are a formidable force. They put seven past Cambridge last Saturday and must be rated an away banker at ailing Crewe.

Homes sweet homes: Crystal Palace, who prop up the Premier League, were unlucky not to beat Everton at Selhurst Park last weekend and there are signs they are getting their act together. A repeat of the form they showed last Saturday should be enough to account for Stoke. Apart from leaders Shrewsbury, Southend are the only side in League One not to have lost at home. That record ought to be intact after Saturday when they entertain Oxford, who shipped four goals at home to Blackburn in midweek. Two goals in the last three minutes of normal time gave lowly Barnet in League Two a surprising and desperately needed 2-1 midweek victory at Newport. It was a timely boost for their new manager Mark McGhee and I suspect they'll follow it up by defeating Grimsby at The Hive.


Pools info: Three of my five best draws were correct last weekend. Crystal Palace v Everton (2-2), Hull v Ipswich (2-2) and Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City (0-0).

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Nov 18-19

Ten draws: Crystal Palace v Everton, Hull v Ipswich, Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City, Northampton v Scunthorpe, Oldham v Rochdale, Rotherham v Shrewsbury, Yeovil v Swindon, Eastleigh v Barrow, Gateshead v Tranmere.

Best draws: Crystal Palace v Everton, Hull v Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday v Bristol City, Rotherham v Shrewsbury, Gateshead v Tranmere.

Best weekend away bets: Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Blackburn, Exeter, Carlisle, Annan.

Best weekend home bets: Burnley, Liverpool, Norwich, Sunderland, Charlton, Plymouth, Colchester, Wycombe, Dundee, Bromley.


Pick of the draws: Beleaguered Everton gained a much-needed victory over Watford, fighting back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Goodison Park, and they can build on that with a point at Crystal Palace, who prop up the Premier League and are in danger of being cast adrift. For their part, Palace will be encouraged by the way they played in a narrow defeat against Tottenham at Wembley. Ipswich are without a draw in 15 Championship games but that unusual sequence could end when they visit Hull, who will be anxious to halt their slide. Sheffield Wednesday's 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park in their last match was an eye-catching result but fourth-placed Bristol City are in even better shape and have lost only once away. League One leaders Shrewsbury were the last side in the top four divisions to lose their unbeaten record. It doesn't seem to have damaged their confidence and they look set for at least a point at free-scoring Rotherham, who have yet to draw at home. I sense that Tranmere are at last finding their feet in the National League and beating Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 at home last Saturday should bode well. Despite Tranmere's heavy midweek defeat in their FA Cup replay against League One Peterborough, I believe they'll share the spoils at Gateshead, 3-0 winners at Maidenhead.

Away days: Chelsea's away form has kept them in the Champions League qualifying places and they are recommended at West Bromwich Albion, who have managed just two Premier League wins. Nottingham Forest's resounding 4-0 home victory over Queens Park Rangers will put them in good heart for their trip to Birmingham, who have so far failed to respond positively to Steve Cotterill's management and find themselves in the Championship relegation zone. Although Blackburn are outside the League One play-off spots, they have matches in hand. They can make up lost ground by winning at bottom club Bury, who crashed out of the FA Cup to non-League Woking in midweek. I think League Two high fliers Exeter will have too much knowhow for bottom-of-the-table Chesterfield and an improving Carlisle are well worth a punt at Grimsby. In Scottish League Two, Annan should be backed at Cowdenbeath, who are in dire straits.

Homes sweet homes: It's about time the tide turned for Sunderland and I've a hunch it will when they host Millwall on Saturday. It seems that Sunderland, bottom of the Championship, can't buy a win at the moment but they've played better recently and they'll be encouraged by the fact that Millwall have yet to triumph on their travels. League One strugglers Plymouth have arrested their slump and their  victory at promotion contenders Bradford City was one of the upsets of last weekend. I fancy them to defeat mid-table Oxford, who have gone off the boil. Dundee, bottom of the Scottish Premiership, could do with a lift and they may get it against third-from-bottom Kilmarnock, who appear equally fragile.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Nov 11-12

Ten draws: Blackpool v Portsmouth, Rochdale v Wigan, Cambridge v Accrington, Crawley v Forest Green, Ebbsfleet v Leyton Orient, Halifax v Woking, Alfreton v York, Boston v Stockport, Airdrieonians v Stranraer, Peterhead v Stenhousemuir.

Best draws: Blackpool v Portsmouth, Rochdale v Wigan, Crawley v Forest Green, Ebbsfleet v Leyton Orient, Peterhead v Stenhousemuir.

Best weekend away bets: Luton, Wycombe, Notts County, Sutton, Alloa, Stirling.

Best weekend home bets: Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Coventry, Crewe, Exeter, Swindon, Dover, Tranmere, Berwick, Montrose.


Pick of the draws: Blackpool play Portsmouth, two off-form League One teams trying to recover from being knocked out of the FA Cup by lower division sides. Neither inspire much confidence at the moment and I predict deadlock here. Wigan are strong favourites for promotion to the Championship but Rochdale, on their day, are well capable of checking their charge. Crawley's home record in League Two (six defeats from eight games) is deplorable but they should get something from the visit of Forest Green, who are just below them in the table. Although Leyton Orient can't buy a win in the National League, they travel to Ebbsfleet with some optimism. Ebbsfleet's morale may have been damaged by that 6-2 home loss against Doncaster in the FA Cup first round last weekend. Stenhousemuir have lost only once on their travels in Scottish League Two, which should put them in good heart for their journey to Peterhead, who are one place above them.

Away days: Luton put their League Two blip against Coventry behind them by beating League One Portsmouth in the FA Cup. The Hatters go to Cheltenham, who were on the wrong end of an FA Cup upset against National League side Maidstone last Saturday and may take time to recover. Wycombe, lying seventh and with four League Two victories on the road this season, will fancy their chances at second-from-bottom Morecambe while leaders Notts County are recommended at Stevenage, who are on a downward spiral. National League promotion contenders Sutton will be banking on three points at bottom club Solihull and Alloa, in Scottish League One, will hope to take advantage of Albion's terrible home form. Stirling's flawless away record in Scottish League Two (five wins out of five) looks set to continue at struggling Clyde.

Homes sweet homes: Darren Ferguson's Doncaster are better than their position in League One suggests and scoring six away from home in the FA Cup last weekend won't do them any harm. They are worth a punt against higher-placed Rotherham, who are bad travellers. Crewe have recently defeated League Two leaders Notts County and League One Rotherham at Gresty Road, so a visit from promoted Lincoln ought to hold no fears, although Lincoln are enjoying a better season. Tranmere, mid-table in the National League, took League One Peterborough to an FA Cup replay last weekend. I believe they'll build on that with victory over Dagenham & Redbridge, despite the visitors occupying one of the play-off positions.



Pools info: Newport v Port Vale (match No 21 on coupon) is being played on Friday and is therefore void. Blackburn v Walsall (2), Shrewsbury v Charlton (10) and Southend v Oldham (11) have been postponed and will be judged by the pools panel.

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

Ten draws: Huddersfield v West Bromwich Albion, Southampton v Burnley, Swansea v Brighton, Ipswich v Preston, Ross v Motherwell, Livingston v Inverness, Morton v Queen of South, Arbroath v Ayr, Elgin v Peterhead, Celta Vigo v Athletic Bilbao.

Best draws: Southampton v Burnley, Swansea v Brighton, Ipswich v Preston, Ross v Motherwell, Elgin v Peterhead.

Best weekend away bets: Manchester United, Liverpool, Queens Park Rangers, Aberdeen, Stirling, Scunthorpe.

Best weekend home bets: Everton, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Derby, Middlesbrough, Hibernian, Rangers, Brechin, Dundee United, Plymouth.


Pick of the draws: In complete contrast to last season, Burnley have hardly put a foot wrong away from home. They've won at Premier League champions Chelsea and drawn at Tottenham, so they won't feel apprehensive about a trip to mid-table Southampton. Swansea's poor home form has put them dangerously near the relegation zone and I can't see them beating Brighton, who have adjusted well to life in a higher division. Ipswich and Preston had disappointing midweek results in the Championship and are losing touch with the division's front-runners. Ipswich have yet to draw this season but I think they'll end that sequence on Saturday. Motherwell's good run in the Scottish Premiership was ended by Hibernian last weekend. The Well travel to Ross on Saturday and the hosts showed grit when losing narrowly away to high-flying Aberdeen. Peterhead's fine away record has kept them in the chase for the Scottish League Two title and it should benefit them at Elgin.

Away days: All is not well at Chelsea. Indifferent results and stories of player unrest have done nothing to lift the pessimistic mood at Stamford Bridge and Manchester United, their visitors on Sunday, can cash in. United appear to be Manchester City's only challengers for the Premier League title and nobody is better than Mourinho at grinding out results. Liverpool's 3-0 home victory over Huddersfield last weekend came in the nick of time for under-fire manager Jurgen Klopp. By the end of the match his team were playing with a bit of swagger, which doesn't bode well for their lowly hosts West Ham. Queens Park Rangers have defeated Championship high-flyers Wolves and Sheffield United in the past week. I'm taking them to make it a hat-trick at Nottingham Forest and win away for the first time this season. Aberdeen, second in the Scottish Premiership, should have the measure of Hamilton and League Two leaders Stirling are a confident selection at Edinburgh City. League One Scunthorpe are showing signs of getting back in the groove and I'm backing them to win at struggling Northampton in the FA Cup first round.

Homes sweet homes: Managerless Everton, in the Premier League drop zone, deserved better than to lose their League Cup tie at Chelsea last week and I've a feeling they'll raise their game against Watford at Goodison Park on Sunday. Watford seem to have lost their way since making disparaging comments about Arsenal and look there for the taking. Brechin, bottom of the Scottish Championship and without a win from 11 matches, gave Livingston a good game last Saturday and have a fine opportunity to get off the mark against Dumbarton, who are mediocre. Dundee United moved back into promotion contention with a 2-0 away success at Dumbarton last Saturday and they are worth a punt against leaders St Mirren.


Pools info: Wolves v Fulham (No 21 on coupon) and Real Betis v Getafe (47) are being played on Friday and are therefore void.