Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 9-10

Ten draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Newcastle v Everton, Southampton v Tottenham, Bristol City v Leeds, Nottingham Forest v Hull, Charlton v Portsmouth, Plymouth v Luton, Walsall v Fleetwood, Crawley v Grimsby, Livingston v St Johnstone.

Best draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Southampton v Tottenham, Bristol City v Leeds, Charlton v Portsmouth, Plymouth v Luton.

Best weekend away bets: West Ham, Peterborough, MK Dons, Forest Green, Mansfield, Bury.

Best weekend home bets: Leicester, Reading, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Barnsley, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Northampton, Gateshead, Ross.

Pick of the draws: Manchester United are irresistible at the moment but I can't help thinking that their remarkable sequence of nine consecutive away wins must end sometime. Arsenal, still smarting from their FA Cup fourth-round exit at the hands of United, will be looking for revenge on Sunday and have been in formidable form at the Emirates. Southampton played more than their part when losing a thriller at Old Trafford last Saturday and can hold Tottenham, whose Premier League progress has stalled. Leeds, second in the Championship and fresh from a 4-0 home victory over West Brom last Friday, will probably meet sterner resistance from Bristol City, who are in the play-off places on merit. Portsmouth, fourth in League One, crushed Bradford City last weekend for a long-awaited success but won't have it all their own way at Charlton, who are just behind them in the table. If anybody can halt Luton, who are lording it at the top of League One, it's Plymouth, who are held Portsmouth last month and are moving further away from the relegation area.

Away days: West Ham, lying a comfortable ninth in the Premier League, are in the mood to take advantage of Cardiff's fragility near the foot of the table. Peterborough, with Darren Ferguson back in charge, will be hot favourites to gain maximum points at Bradford City, who are six points from safety. MK Dons, chasing automatic promotion from League Two, must fancy their chances at lowly Macclesfield and Forest Green's play-off prospects will be improved by victory at ailing Morecambe. In what looks a good weekend for away sides in League Two, high-flying Mansfield should be backed at struggling Port Vale and second-placed Bury are worth a punt at inconsistent Stevenage.

Homes sweet homes: Reading, encouraged by their late winner at doomed Ipswich in the Championship, will feel confident about sending Wigan home pointless, especially as Wigan's away record is so bad. Paul Scholes has had a hesitant start as manager of League Two Oldham and Cambridge, after beating Grimsby 2-0 away last Saturday, are unlikely to be generous hosts. Keith Curle's Northampton are rapidly climbing the table and I fancy them to upset the better-placed Exeter.

Pools info: Norwich v Swansea (No 16 on coupon) and Falkirk v Ayr (47) are void.

Three of my five best draw selections were correct last weekend: Tottenham v Arsenal, Oldham v Stevenage and Albion v Berwick. Eight of ten home selections were correct: Watford, Wolves, Swansea, Oxford, Portsmouth, Sunderland, MK Dons and Annan.