Pools tips and best bets for weekend of January 30-31

Ten draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Chelsea v Burnley, West Ham v Liverpool, Granada v Celta Vigo, Villarreal v Real Sociedad, Crotone v Genoa, RB Leipzig v Bayer Leverkusen, Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach, Brest v Metz, Feyenoord v PSV Eindhoven.

Best draws: Arsenal v Manchester United, Chelsea v Burnley, West Ham v Liverpool, RB Leipzig v Bayer Leverkusen, Feyenoord v PSV Eindhoven.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Tottenham, Aston Villa, Stoke, Swansea, Peterborough, Scunthorpe.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Everton, Leicester, Manchester City, Blackburn, Cardiff, Blackpool, Hull, Northampton, Carlisle, Morecambe.

Pick of the draws: I cannot overlook Manchester United's sensational away record but Arsenal's outstanding form in the Premier League since Christmas has also been noted and I've a hunch that Saturday's clash will end all square. It could take Chelsea some time to adapt to a new manager while Burnley's FA Cup fourth-round victory at Fulham could not have been more emphatic. They could easily come away from Stamford Bridge with a point. David Moyes has West Ham firing on all cylinders. Their rise is one of the surprises of the season but I'm sure Liverpool's blip will end soon. Leipzig, second in the German League, unexpectedly lost at lowly Mainz last weekend, so they may find third-placed Bayer Leverkusen hard to overcome. As Feyenoord lost at home to AZ Alkmaar last weekend, I can see them being held by PSV Eindhoven.

Away days: We're almost into February and Tottenham are still involved in four competitions. There's a hunger there that's been missing for too long and they should beat Brighton on Sunday. Aston Villa's position in the Premier League is a false one as they have quite a few games in hand. I fancy them to prevail at Southampton, who have gone off the boil. There's no reason for Stoke to fear a visit to Huddersfield, who continue to disappoint in the Championship. Promotion candidates Swansea, who thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-1 at home in the FA Cup, will be confident of three points at struggling Rotherham. High-flying Peterborough, of League One, are recommended at Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe, after consecutive home victories in League Two, may be worth a punt at Colchester, who are bang out of form.

Homes sweet homes: Mick McCarthy, who has taken over as Cardiff's manager, may not be everyone's cup of tea but he tends to get the job done. I think his new team will get the job done against Millwall on Saturday. Northampton, despite being just above the League One drop zone, came away with a good point at Fleetwood in midweek and I believe they'll defeat fellow strugglers Wigan, who crashed 5-0 at home to Blackpool.  Morecambe, who have climbed to third in League Two, are one of the success stories of the season and it's difficult to see visitors Tranmere halting their winning sequence.

 

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

Ten draws: Manchester United v Liverpool, Fiorentina v Crotone, Genoa v Cagliari, Parma v Sampdoria, Freiburg v Stuttgart, Hertha Berlin v Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim v Cologne, Reims v Brest, Rennes v Lille, KV Mechelen v Eupen.

Best draws: Manchester United v Liverpool, Fiorentina v Crotone, Parma v Sampdoria, Hertha Berlin v Werder Bremen, Rennes v Lille.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Arsenal, Leicester, Derby, Reading, Newport, Mansfield.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Brighton, West Ham, Fulham, Everton, Crewe, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Cambridge, Exeter, Port Vale.

Pick of the draws: I believe it will take extra time to find the winners of the Manchester United-Liverpool FA Cup fourth-round tie at Old Trafford on Sunday. These title-contending sides were well matched in the goalless draw at Anfield last weekend and it's again hard to separate them. In the Italian League, Fiorentina, who crashed to a heavy defeat at Napoli last weekend, may not have things all their own way against lowly Crotone, who are bravely battling against relegation. Although Parma are near the foot of the division, I fancy them to get something from the visit of mid-table Sampdoria. In the German League there is little to choose between Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen and Rennes can take advantage of Lille's recent stumble in the French League.

Away days: I wouldn't have given Arsenal much of a chance if they had played at Southampton before Christmas but they are now unbeaten in six matches and have a spring in their step, which should serve them well in Saturday's lunchtime FA Cup tie. Leicester have emerged as genuine Premier League title contenders and should be backed against Championship high-flyers Brentford. Wayne Rooney's Derby got a much needed boost by beating Bournemouth at home in midweek. They could win again at Queens Park Rangers in the only Championship fixture on Saturday. Reading's sights are on the Premier League and I think they'll be nearer promotion after they've played at Preston on Sunday. Newport, second in League Two, are recommended at Oldham, who toil at home, and Mansfield will be looking for a maximum points haul at bottom club Southend.

Homes sweet homes: Fulham, still in the Premier League relegation zone, are playing better than their results suggest and I'm tipping them to beat fellow strugglers Burnley on Sunday and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup. This is despite Burnley's shock 1-0 victory at Liverpool in midweek. A 4-0 home victory over Wimbledon shows that Portsmouth have really hit their stride near the top of League One and they are worth a punt against leaders Hull. Port Vale, of League Two, seem to have benefited from the appointment of interim manager Danny Pugh. They gained an unexpected point at Forest Green last Saturday and I'm taking them to defeat Walsall.

 

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of January 16-17

Ten draws: Leeds v Brighton, Hamilton v Dundee United, St Johnstone v St Mirren, Inter Milan v Juventus, Sampdoria v Udinese, Hoffenheim v Bielefeld, Lorient v Dijon, Ajax v Feyenoord, Groningen v Twente, Waalwijk v Willem 11.

Best draws: Leeds v Brighton, Hamilton v Dundee United, St Johnstone v St Mirren, Inter Milan v Juventus, Ajax v Feyenoord.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Tottenham, Norwich, Doncaster, Crawley, Rangers, Aberdeen.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City, Wolves, Bournemouth, Middlesbrough, Watford, Peterborough, Rochdale, Barrow.

Pick of the draws: There seems to be no grey area for Leeds. They are either terrific, as in their 5-0 away rout of West Bromwich Albion, or terrible, as in their 3-0 FA Cup third-round defeat at League Two Crawley last Sunday. It wouldn't surprise me if they were held by Brighton, who gave a good account of themselves in their midweek defeat by Manchester City. Hamilton v Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership looks an away win on paper but if second-from-bottom Hamilton play as well as they did when beating Motherwell 3-0 at home a few weeks ago they could salvage something. It's hard to make a positive case for either St Johnstone or St Mirren, so a draw is the most likely result. Juventus, fourth in the Italian League, won't want second-placed Inter Milan to go further away from them and they'll battle hard for a point. Dutch leaders Ajax were held 2-2 at home by second-placed PSV Eindhoven last weekend and I can see a similar result when they host third-placed Feyenoord.

Away days: Sheffield United, bottom of the Premier League, gained their first league victory of the season at home to Newcastle last Monday but Tottenham, their opponents on Sunday, are a far better team than the Tynesiders and I think normal service will be resumed. Championship leaders Norwich are a confident selection at Cardiff, who have slumped to 15th. League One high-flyers Doncaster knocked Championship side Blackburn out of the FA Cup last weekend and should settle for nothing less than three points at Swindon, who are third from bottom. Crawley's FA Cup giant-killing of Leeds last Sunday was no fluke. They are also doing well in League Two and I fancy them to prevail at Bradford City. Rangers, the runaway leaders in the Scottish Premiership, will surely defeat struggling Motherwell while Aberdeen, who are third, should send bottom club Ross packing.

Homes sweet homes: Although title challengers Leicester aren't as reliable at home, I believe they'll have too much for Southampton. Liverpool won't take kindly to being overtaken by Manchester United at the top of the Premier League and have a point to prove at Anfield on Sunday. I think they'll pass this stiff examination against a United side, who have lost only one away match in the league this season. Rochdale, of League One, have hit seven goals in their past two games and I'm tipping them to outscore relegation-troubled Wigan on Saturday. Barrow and Scunthorpe are at the wrong end of League Two and I feel ground advantage will favour Barrow. 

Pools info: Aston Villa v Everton (No.1 on coupon) has been postponed because of the Covid outbreak and will be assessed by the pools panel.

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

Ten draws: Blackburn v Doncaster, Cheltenham v Mansfield, Huddersfield v Plymouth, Luton v Reading, Norwich v Coventry, Stoke v Leicester, Port Vale v Grimsby, Scunthorpe v Bradford City, Kilmarnock v Hamilton, Altrincham v Sutton.

Best draws: Blackburn v Doncaster, Luton v Reading, Norwich v Coventry, Stoke v Leicester, Port Vale v Grimsby.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: West Bromwich Albion, Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Bournemouth, Swansea.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Arsenal, Everton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, Wycombe, Gillingham, Ipswich, Cambridge, Southend.

Pick of the draws: It's FA Cup third-round weekend and Doncaster, fourth in League One, are in better form than Blackburn, 11th in the Championship. It won't surprise me if this is all square after 90 minutes. Reading are contesting promotion from the Championship but although Luton are in the bottom half of the table, they are no mugs at home. Leaders Norwich appear to be firm favourites in their tie against Coventry but despite the visitors being goal-shy, they don't give much away. Leicester's remarkable success on the road is the main reason they are third in the Premier League but Championship battlers Stoke may present a tricky hurdle. The League Two fixture between Port Vale and Grimsby is a clash between two woefully out-of-form sides and a point apiece is the most likely outcome.

Away days: There's a chance for West Bromwich Albion to forget their Premier League woes and advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup by beating League One Blackpool. In-form Portsmouth, third in League One, could easily cause an upset at Bristol City, who are slipping down the Championship. Sheffield United can't win a match to save their lives in the Premier League but they have a good opportunity to progress in the FA Cup when they visit Bristol Rovers in League One. Sheffield Wednesday have climbed out of the Championship drop zone since the departure of manager Tony Pulis and I think they'll extend that winning habit against Exeter, of League Two. Bournemouth, who are looking for a quick return to the Premier League, are recommended at Oldham and Swansea, one place higher than Bournemouth in the Championship, should go through at Stevenage, who are third from last in League Two.

Homes sweet homes: Championship strugglers Queens Park Rangers are worth a wager against Premier League neighbours and rivals Fulham, whose plans have been severely disrupted by Covid. Although bottom of the Championship, Wycombe must have a fighting chance of FA Cup progress against mid-table Preston, who are maddeningly inconsistent. Southend prop up League Two but they have improved recently and I believe they'll beat Barrow, who are three places above them.

Pools info: Southampton v Shrewsbury (No.26 on coupon) and Wigan v Hull (33) have been postponed and will be assessed by the pools panel.

Betting info: I scored four out of five aways last weekend (Wigan's match at Swindon was postponed). My four were Leicester, Arsenal, Lincoln and Oxford.