Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 29-30

Ten draws: Arsenal v Watford, Cardiff v Burnley, Rotherham v Stoke, Bradford City v Bristol Rovers, Coventry v Sunderland, Luton v Charlton, Plymouth v Doncaster, Grimsby v Morecambe, Port Vale v Exeter, Swindon v Oldham.

Best draws: Arsenal v Watford, Luton v Charlton, Plymouth v Doncaster, Grimsby v Morecambe, Port Vale v Exeter.

Best weekend away bets: Tottenham, Leicester, Sheffield United, Portsmouth, Forest Green, Rangers.

Best weekend home bets: Wolves, Birmingham, Brentford, Norwich, Burton, Peterborough, Colchester, Notts County, Hamilton, Hearts.

Pick of the draws: Watford, lying fourth in the Premier League and unbeaten away, are playing better than Arsenal and can force a draw at the Emirates. Watford have already won there in league (2017) and FA Cup (2016) and were unlucky not to beat Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend. Despite winning their past six matches, the Gunners have yet to convince and need to raise their game on Saturday. Luton, who are mid-table in League One, are not generous opponents at Kenilworth Road but sixth-placed Charlton have looked the business recently and can come away with a point. Although Plymouth are bottom and without a victory, they played well in defeat at Charlton last Saturday and are capable of halting Doncaster's charge towards the top of the table. Two out-of-form sides meet each other as Grimsby (22nd) host Morecambe (21st) in League Two. They are both desperately short of goals and the odds on a scoreless draw must be short. Second-placed Exeter have really hit their stride but may have to settle for a draw at Port Vale, who are steadily climbing the table.

Away days: Tottenham stopped the rot with a 2-1 win at Brighton last Saturday and will aim to dish out similar treatment to Huddersfield, who prop up the Premier League. Although Leicester are inconsistent, I believe they'll have too much for Newcastle, who have lost all three home matches and show no signs of escaping the relegation zone. Sheffield United have bounced back into promotion contention in the Championship and will fancy themselves at third-from-bottom Millwall, who are playing more like lambs than Lions. Portsmouth, chasing promotion in League One, seem more comfortable away than at Fratton Park and look a good thing at Rochdale, who have disappointed at home. Forest Green, in the League Two play-off places, should relish a trip to demoralised Macclesfield while Steven Gerrard's Rangers, who have climbed to second in the Scottish Premiership, are recommended at Livingston.

Homes sweet homes: Norwich appear to be on the upgrade with recent wins in the Championship and League Cup and are worth a bet against Wigan, who are not the same force away from their own pitch. League One Burton will have benefited enormously from knocking Premier League Burnley out of the League Cup in midweek and I'm taking them to be victorious again, this time against better-placed Scunthorpe. After last season's near miss with promotion, it's incredible that Notts County are in the bottom two in League Two and without a win to their name. I've a feeling that will change on Saturday when Harry Kewell's men play Crewe, who are bad travellers and have yet to score on the road.


Pools info: Bristol City v Aston Villa (match No 13 on coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 22-23

Ten draws: Burnley v Bournemouth, Manchester United v Wolves, Queens Park Rangers v Norwich, Reading v Hull, Barnsley v Burton, Blackpool v Luton, Cambridge v Mansfield, Morecambe v Macclesfield, Northampton v Notts County, Aberdeen v Motherwell.

Best draws: Burnley v Bournemouth, Barnsley v Burton, Blackpool v Luton, Morecambe v Macclesfield, Northampton v Notts County.

Best weekend away bets: Manchester City, Chelsea, Coventry, Peterborough, Hibernian, Ayr.

Best weekend home bets: Crystal Palace, Leeds, Sheffield United, Stoke, West Bromwich, Charlton, Doncaster, Oldham, Tranmere, Hearts.


Pick of the draws: Although Burnley are bottom of the Premier League with no wins from five matches, they haven't become a bad team overnight and they are capable of gaining a point from the visit of high-flying Bournemouth. Relegated Burton have picked up in League One and had a particularly good result at home to Sunderland last Saturday, winning 2-1. Barnsley went down to their first defeat of the season at Coventry last weekend and I believe they'll be held by Nigel Clough's side. Blackpool had two players sent off for fighting each other in their 1-0 triumph at Plymouth last Saturday and the suspensions will probably harm their chances against Luton, who are coping well with playing in a higher division. Morecambe and Macclesfield, who face one another, seem destined for a season of struggle in League Two and a point apiece is the most likely result here. New manager Harry Kewell has a job on his hands at bottom club Notts County. They have lost all four away games so far but they will be disappointed not to come away with something at Northampton, who are only four points above them.

Away days: Manchester City will be anxious to make amends for their unexpected midweek defeat by Lyon in the Champions League - their first of the season - and it is hard to see them failing again against Neil Warnock's Cardiff. Chelsea, the Premier League leaders, have given their title hopes a real shot in the arm with maximum points from their first five matches and are in the mood to make it six wins in a row on Sunday at West Ham, who were pointless before last weekend. Coventry have won their past two fixtures in League One, so don't be surprised if they collect another three points at Bristol Rovers, who have slid into the relegation zone. Peterborough have been replaced at the top of League One by Portsmouth, who beat them 2-1 away last Saturday. I think that will be only a temporary setback and I expect Posh to come away from ailing Gillingham with a victory. In the Scottish Premiership, Hibernian are recommended at Dundee, who are still without a point, while Ayr are a confident selection at struggling Alloa in the Scottish Championship.

Homes sweet homes: Relegated Stoke have been slow to adjust to the demands of the Championship but there are signs they are getting their act together and they are worth a punt against shot-shy Blackburn, who have only eight goals from the same number of matches. Oldham's 3-0 success at Grimsby last Saturday caught the eye in League Two and I'm backing them to inflict Colchester's first away defeat this season. A home win would lift Oldham above Colchester in the upper reaches of the table. Tranmere, who lie just outside the League Two play-off positions, are in good nick. They host third-placed Newport, whose confidence must have been adversely affected by their shock 6-0 home loss to Yeovil last Saturday.


Pools info: Wigan v Bristol City (match No 21 on coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void. Three of my five best draw selections were correct last weekend - Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke, Cheltenham v Crewe and Notts County v Stevenage.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Sept 15-16

Ten draws: Huddersfield v Crystal Palace, Bristol City v Sheffield United, Hull v Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke, Peterborough v Portsmouth, Walsall v Doncaster, Cheltenham v Crewe, Grimsby v Oldham, Notts County v Stevenage, Swindon v Bury.

Best draws: Hull v Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke, Cheltenham v Crewe, Notts County v Stevenage, Swindon v Bury.

Best weekend away bets: Arsenal, Leeds, Derby, Charlton, Lincoln, Harrogate.

Best weekend home bets: Chelsea, Wolves, Blackburn, Preston, Swansea, Fleetwood, Luton, Shrewsbury, Crawley, Rangers.


Pick of the draws: Hull and Ipswich have only one win between them in the Championship this season and it wouldn't surprise me if neither of them managed to gain maximum points from this fixture. Stoke, just down from the Premier League, are surely better than their 18th position in the Championship suggests and I think they can come away with a draw at Hillsborough. Crewe have not  scored away from home in League Two but they visit Cheltenham, who have lost all their three home matches, so I suspect the teams will cancel each other out. Notts County's demise has been one of the shocks of the season so far. They lie bottom of League Two and have sacked manager Kevin Nolan but at least they should be able to get something from the visit of Stevenage, who are mediocre at best. Swindon won 1-0 at Morecambe last Saturday but Bury's 4-0 home triumph over Grimsby was even better and I'm backing them to hold the Wiltshire side.

Away days: Arsenal have got their Premier League season up and running with two consecutive wins and they'll be disappointed not to make it a hat-trick at Newcastle, who will do well to finish out of the bottom three. Leeds, the free-scoring Championship leaders, are unbeaten and I believe that record will still be intact after they've played at Millwall on Saturday. The south-east Londoners have faded after a promising start to the season. Manager Frank Lampard has managed to squeeze something extra from his Derby players and they are looking good for three points at Rotherham. Lee Bowyer's appointment as Charlton manager was confirmed last week and the team responded by beating Wycombe at home. They can go one better this weekend by winning at ailing Bradford City. Although League Two leaders Lincoln suffered an unexpected home defeat by Crawley last Saturday, I'm taking them to bounce straight back at Macclesfield, who await their first win after clinching promotion last season. Harrogate, the surprising leaders of the National League, will be confident of more success at Maidstone.

Homes sweet homes: Although Blackburn are no great shakes, they must fancy their chances against Steve Bruce's Aston Villa, who are sliding down the Championship table after an encouraging start.
Joey Barton is doing well as the manager of unfashionable League One club Fleetwood. They lie sixth and gained a creditable 1-1 draw at Sunderland last weekend. That should give them the confidence to see off the challenge of Accrington. Lowly Shrewsbury had the better of their 1-1 draw at promotion-chasing Portsmouth last Saturday and I've a hunch they'll land their first victory of the season at the expense of off-colour Southend.


Pools info: Birmingham v West Bromwich Albion (match No 9 on coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of September 8-9

Ten draws: England v Spain, Luxembourg v Moldova, Barnsley v Walsall, Bristol Rovers v Plymouth, Oxford v Coventry, Scunthorpe v Rochdale, Cambridge v Carlisle, Oldham v Newport, Tranmere v Colchester, Aldershot v Bromley.

Best draws: England v Spain, Bristol Rovers v Plymouth, Oxford v Coventry, Oldham v Newport, Tranmere v Colchester.

Best weekend away bets: Serbia, Peterborough, Wrexham, AFC Fylde, Leyton Orient, Partick.

Best weekend home bets: France, Switzerland, Charlton, Gillingham, Portsmouth, Bury, Forest Green, Lincoln, Barrow, Salford.

Pick of the draws: England make their bow in the new Uefa Nations League and are bound to have the Wembley crowd behind them after their convincing show in the World Cup when they reached the semi-finals. However, Spain will be eager to make amends for their disappointing tournament. Plymouth have slumped to the foot of League One and are without an away point but they have a chance to change that at Bristol Rovers, who are also in the relegation zone, having lost all three of their home matches. Goals are in short supply at Coventry, where they have found the net only three times in six games. They travel to another struggling side in Oxford on Sunday. Mike Flynn's Newport continue to confound the pundits. They have climbed to second in League Two after their 

2-1 victory at Port Vale last weekend and are capable of gaining a point at Oldham. Fourth-placed Colchester, 3-1 winners at Cheltenham last Saturday, are worthy promotion contenders and can hold promoted Tranmere.

Away days: One cannot ignore Serbia's chances of maximum points at minnows Lithuania in the Uefa Nations League. League One leaders Peterborough dropped their first points of the season when held to a 1-1 home draw by Doncaster last Saturday but I believe they'll bounce straight back by defeating mid-table Southend. Wrexham were knocked off the top of the National League in midweek but they have a great opportunity to reclaim first place as they visit bottom club Braintree. AFC Fylde are unbeaten away and that should still stand after they've played at Eastleigh, who have yet to hit their stride. Leyton Orient are unbeaten anywhere after nine matches and have jumped to second in the National League. They won at Chesterfield last weekend and I've a feeling they'll do the same at FC Halifax, even though the Yorkshiremen are having a good season. It's Irn-Bru Cup weekend in Scotland and I recommend Partick, of the Championship, at East Fife, who are last in League One.

Homes sweet homes: Switzerland, who reached the last 16 of the World Cup in Russia, should make the most of ground advantage against Iceland, who failed to repeat their Euro heroics of two years ago. Despite off-the-pitch distractions, Charlton did well to win 2-1 at Southend in League One last Saturday. They have yet to click at home but I think they'll make a start by beating Wycombe. Gillingham's progress has stalled recently but I've a hunch they'll get back on track when they host Wimbledon, who look to be in for a long hard winter.

Pools info: Crewe v Mansfield (No 30 on coupon) and Yeovil v MK Dons (39) have been postponed because of international calls and their results will be judged by the pools panel.