Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 17-18

Ten draws: Stoke v Everton, Birmingham v Hull, Bolton v Aston Villa, Northampton v Rotherham, Oldham v Portsmouth, Plymouth v Bristol Rovers, Scunthorpe v Shrewsbury, Barnet v Wycombe, Cambridge v Swindon, Ross v Hamilton.

Best draws: Stoke v Everton, Birmingham v Hull, Northampton v Rotherham, Scunthorpe v Shrewsbury, Cambridge v Swindon.

Best weekend away bets: Southampton, Crystal Palace, Preston, Peterborough, Luton, St Mirren.

Best weekend home bets: Leicester, Liverpool, Barnsley, Bristol City, Leeds, Wolves, Charlton, Accrington, Cheltenham, Port Vale.


Pick of the draws: I know Everton's away record is dreadful but they should be able to stop the rot at Stoke, who are second from bottom in the Premier League and have little going for them. Hull have had an excellent week in the Championship, beating Norwich and Ipswich and scoring seven goals in the process. They travel to Birmingham, who are deep in relegation trouble but may be lifted by the managerial appointment of Garry Monk. League One high-flyers Rotherham have just suffered consecutive losses to teams in the drop zone. On Saturday they play another relegation-fearing side, Northampton, but I believe they'll avoid a hat-trick of defeats. Scunthorpe have also been wobbling lately and they will have been relieved to gain a merited 3-3 draw at Wigan last weekend. I think they'll give promotion-seeking Shrewsbury a similarly thorough examination and I can see the match ending all square. Swindon, ninth in League Two, are much more accomplished away than on their own ground. They are the only team in the division to record double-figure victories on the road but Cambridge are no mugs at home and can deny them another three points.

Away days: Southampton's wretched Premier League season has led to the sacking of manager Mauricio Pellegrino, who has been replaced by Mark Hughes. As they are probably at their lowest ebb, Sunday's sixth-round FA Cup tie at League One Wigan should come as light relief. Wigan may have knocked out Manchester City in the previous round but I'm taking the Saints to forget their current plight and reach the semi-finals. Crystal Palace badly need a lift after slipping back into the Premier League relegation zone and I've a feeling they'll get it at Huddersfield, who are in peril themselves and failed to beat 10-man Swansea at home last weekend. Preston, ninth in the Championship, have lost only three times away and must be fancied to triumph at bottom club Sunderland, who are favourites to suffer two successive relegations. Wins over Charlton (4-1, home) and Bury (1-0, away) have propelled Peterborough into the League One play-off positions. They are in the mood to make it three in a row at Oxford, who are woefully out of form. League Two promotion contenders Luton, who fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Coventry in midweek, are taken to prevail at mid-table Newport while St Mirren, the Scottish Championship leaders, should be too good for Queen of South.

Homes sweet homes: I tipped Leicester to win the FA Cup at the start of the season, so I won't desert them now. They will be underdogs going into Sunday's quarter-final against Chelsea but they are capable of causing an upset. They are also facing a side that have lost their past five away games. Barnsley, who are hovering just above the Championship relegation zone, are playing better than their recent results suggest and I'm backing them to stop Millwall's winning sequence. Although League Two strugglers Port Vale are without a win in 11 matches, I believe they'll take three points from the visit of Stevenage, who are brittle away from home and have little incentive other than pride.