Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Dec 23-24

Ten draws: Burnley v Tottenham, Southampton v Huddersfield, Aston Villa v Sheffield United, Bristol Rovers v Doncaster, Plymouth v Oldham, Shrewsbury v Portsmouth, Barnet v Cheltenham, Forest Green v Carlisle, Celtic v Aberdeen, Motherwell v Dundee.

Best draws: Burnley v Tottenham, Aston Villa v Sheffield United, Plymouth v Oldham, Shrewsbury v Portsmouth, Celtic v Aberdeen.

Best weekend away bets: Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Bristol City, Bradford City, Blackburn, Hearts.

Best weekend home bets: Brighton, Stoke, Fulham, Leeds, Wolves, Charlton, Peterborough, Accrington, Colchester, Crewe.


Pick of the draws: Stuttering Tottenham, who have slipped to seventh in the Premier League after that 4-1 thumping by Manchester City, could have chosen easier opponents than Burnley, who have lost only four league matches this season and have conceded just 12 goals. I expect Spurs to enjoy more possession but to come away from Turf Moor with no more than a draw. Sheffield United, with four defeats and a draw in their past five Championship fixtures, have gone right off the boil but they will be determined to arrest their decline at Aston Villa, who have overtaken them in the table but are not wholly convincing. Plymouth play Oldham in League One this Saturday. Both teams gained a well earned point last weekend (Plymouth at Rotherham, Oldham at Doncaster) and both will probably enjoy better second halves of the season. Oldham are now six points clear of the drop zone after looking certs for relegation and I'll be surprised if they lose to the side sitting in 22nd place. Celtic's magnificent 69-game unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership was brought to a shuddering halt by Hearts last Sunday. I've a hunch Celtic will drop more points this weekend when they play Aberdeen, their most realistic title challengers.

Away days: Roy Hodgson is doing a fabulous job of steering Crystal Palace away from relegation. Their 3-0 victory at Leicester last Saturday spoilt more than a few betting slips and they are well equipped to take three points from Swansea, who are floundering at the foot of the Premier League and have sacked their manager Paul Clement. Cardiff, four points behind leaders Wolves in the race for automatic promotion to the top flight, are recommended at Bolton, whose hopes of escaping relegation from the Championship were dealt a blow when they lost 1-0 at home to Burton last Saturday. A trip to Queens Park Rangers should not faze Bristol City, especially after knocking Manchester United out of the League Cup in midweek, while Bradford City, fourth in League One and boasting eight away wins, are a good bet to overcome struggling Wimbledon. Third-placed Blackburn are strong favourites to prevail at lowly Northampton and Hearts, after beating Celtic 4-0 at home, will look forward to taking on St Johnstone.

Homes sweet homes: Although promoted Brighton are enduring a dodgy spell in the Premier League, Watford, their visitors on Saturday, are leaking goals at an alarming rate and it's worth having a punt on the Seagulls. Stoke host West Bromwich Albion in what will be called a relegation six-pointer. Neither of these sides inspires confidence in their attempts to stay in the Premier League but I believe ground advantage will tip the balance Stoke's way. Crewe halted a wretched run of League Two results by beating Crawley 3-0 at home last weekend. Swindon, their opponents on Saturday, have been slipping down the table and are susceptible to an upset.


Betting info: Nine of my 10 home selections last weekend were correct. Arsenal, Chelsea, Cardiff, Millwall, Sunderland, Portsmouth, Shrewsbury, Coventry and Kilmarnock all obliged.