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

Ten draws: Huddersfield v Newcastle, Liverpool v Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough, Barnsley v Portsmouth, Oxford v Blackpool, Southend v Accrington, Carlisle v Colchester, Forest Green v Mansfield, Macclesfield v Crawley, Newport v MK Dons.

Best draws: Huddersfield v Newcastle, Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough, Barnsley v Portsmouth, Oxford v Blackpool, Macclesfield v Crawley.

Best weekend away bets: Chelsea, West Ham, Birmingham, Leeds, Tranmere, Aberdeen.

Best weekend home bets: Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Ipswich, Swansea, Doncaster, Sunderland, Cambridge, Northampton, Rangers.

Pick of the draws: Huddersfield have scored only 10 Premier League goals this season while their opponents on Saturday, Newcastle, have managed just 13. It all points to this relegation clash being a stalemate and probably a goalless one. Middlesbrough have gone off the boil in the Championship recently and I can't see them getting more than a point at QPR, whose dreadful start to the season is well behind them. Although League One leaders Portsmouth suffered only their second defeat of the season in midweek - 2-1 at home to Charlton - they have enough about them to share the spoils at high-scoring Barnsley. With their creditable 2-2 draw at Peterborough last Saturday, Oxford moved five points clear of the League One drop zone. I reckon they'll gain their first home draw of the season against Blackpool, who are challenging for the play-off places. Macclesfield, now managed by former England defender Sol Campbell, are six points from safety at the foot of League Two but can take advantage of Crawley's bad away record.

Away days: Chelsea received an enormous boost by inflicting Manchester City's first Premier League loss of the season last weekend. I fancy them to follow that up by winning at Brighton. Consecutive victories over Newcastle (3-0) and Crystal Palace (3-2) have put an extra spring in West Ham's step and I'm backing them to make it a hat-trick at bottom club Fulham, who can't stop leaking goals. I feel that Birmingham's home defeat by Bristol City last Saturday was just a blip and they can return to winning ways at Blackburn. Leeds, second in the Championship, look a sure thing at Bolton, who are second last. In League Two I expect Tranmere to pile more misery on relegation-threatened Notts County and believe Aberdeen will assert their superiority over St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

Homes sweet homes: Ipswich, rock bottom in the Championship and without a home win all season, can rectify that by beating Wigan, who have lost eight out of 10 away games. I'm tipping Cambridge, third last in League Two, to leap-frog ailing Yeovil by beating them on Saturday and improving Northampton are well worth a punt against inconsistent Stevenage.

Pools info: Sheffield United v West Bromwich (No 20 on coupon) and Livingston v Hearts (47) have been brought forward to Friday and are therefore void.

Betting info: With Sunderland's match at Accrington abandoned last Saturday, four of my five away selections were correct: Wolves, Doncaster, Northampton and Forest Green. I was also one of the few pundits to tip Chelsea to beat the previously undefeated Manchester City.