Pools tips and best bets for the weekend of May 21-22

Ten draws: Burnley v Newcastle, Granada v Espanyol, Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid, Valencia v Celta Vigo, Fiorentina v Juventus, Angers v Montpellier, Lorient v Troyes, Club Brugge v Anderlecht, KV Mechelen v Genk, Veje Boldklub v Odense.

Best draws: Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid, Valencia v Celta Vigo, Fiorentina v Juventus, Angers v Montpellier, Lorient v Troyes.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Manchester United, Tottenham, Cadiz, AC Milan, Napoli, Lyon.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sunderland, Rangers, Inter Milan, Paris St Germain.

Pick of the draws: Real Sociedad recovered from a goal down to win at Villarreal in the Spanish League last Sunday and can hold the higher-placed Atletico Madrid. Valencia v Celta Vigo is a mid-table clash and I can't see either side getting the upper hand. Juventus have been left behind by the two Milan teams in this season's Italian League and their task at Fiorentina is unlikely to be straightforward. In the French League, Angers and Montpellier both lost last weekend and I'm tipping them to end their mediocre campaign with a stalemate. Lorient's goalless draw at bottom club Bordeaux meant that they escaped relegation and I believe they'll end the season with another deadlock, this time against Troyes, who are only two places above them.

Away days: I've a hunch that Manchester United will end a deeply disappointing season by beating Crystal Palace on Sunday. Apart from anything else, they will want to show their new manager what they are capable of when their individuals click as a team. Thanks to Arsenal's implosion, all Tottenham have to do to qualify for the Champions League is to avoid defeat at bottom-of-the table Norwich on Sunday. I think they'll go one better and finish the Premier League season with three consecutive wins. Cadiz drew with Champions League finalists Real Madrid in the Spanish League last Sunday, so you have to fancy them at relegated Alaves. AC Milan will clinch the Italian title with victory at Sassuolo and third-placed Napoli are recommended at Spezia. Lyon, eighth in the French League, should come away with maximum points at Clermont Foot, who are 15th.

Homes sweet homes: Finishing in the top half of the Premier League is within Brighton's grasp and I believe they'll take that opportunity against West Ham, even though the Hammers held title-seeking Manchester City to a draw last weekend. Leicester were at their best when demolishing relegated Watford 5-1 away last Sunday and I'm tipping them to repeat that form against Southampton, who are ending the season on a downer. It's the League One play-off final at Wembley on Sunday and I'm going for Sunderland to gain a long-awaited promotion by defeating Wycombe. 

Pools info (Part 1): Real Madrid v Real Betis (No.17 on coupon), Rayo Vallecano v Levante (19) and Torino v Roma (30) are being played on Friday and are therefore void. 

Pools info (Part 2): Five of my ten draws were correct last weekend as well as three of my five best draws: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace (1-1), Aberdeen v St Mirren (0-0) and Bordeaux v Lorient (0-0). 

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 14-15

Ten draws: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace, Leeds v Brighton, Aberdeen v St Mirren, Altrincham v Yeovil, Boreham Wood v Solihull Moors, Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna, Bologna v Sassuolo, Mainz v Entracht Frankfurt, Bordeaux v Lorient, Lyon v Nantes.

Best draws: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace, Aberdeen v St Mirren, Boreham Wood v Solihull Moors, Bologna v Sassuolo, Bordeaux v Lorient.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Leicester, Manchester City, Liverpool, Wrexham, Grimsby, Rangers.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Everton, Tottenham, Wolves, Barnet, Chesterfield, Dover, Stockport, Celtic, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund.

Pick of the draws: Crystal Palace, with consecutive victories over Southampton (2-1 away) and Watford (1-0 at home), have a good chance of finishing in the top half of the Premier League. They have no need to fear a trip to Aston Villa, who have lost more at home than they have won. Aberdeen have disappointed in the Scottish Premiership and won't feel confident of beating St Mirren. Boreham Wood's recovery from their startling slump has come too late for them to make the National League play-offs but they can take a point from Solihull Moors, who have booked their play-off place. Bologna lost 4-3 at Venezia, who are bottom of the Italian League, last weekend, so cannot be guaranteed to beat the better-placed Sassuolo. Bordeaux, bottom of the French League, crashed 4-1 at Angers last weekend and play Lorient, who are only seven points better off.

Away days: Although Leicester have underperformed this season, they should be too strong for Watford, whose relegation to the Championship has been confirmed. Title-chasing Manchester City could have had easier opponents than West Ham on Sunday but I believe this is another hurdle they will overcome. I'm tipping Liverpool to add the FA Cup to their League Cup trophy when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday. Chelsea made Liverpool work hard for their League Cup final victory but off-the-field issues have unsettled them. Wrexham, seeking automatic promotion from the National League, know that nothing less than three points will do at Dagenham & Redbridge and I think they will get them. Grimsby, who are in the play-offs, have had a better second half to the season and are recommended at lowly Eastleigh. Rangers may have one eye on next Wednesday's Europa League final but I still rate their chances at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

Homes sweet homes: Goodison Park looks like being Everton's saviour in their struggle to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Recent 1-0 home wins over Newcastle, Manchester United and Chelsea have boosted their hopes of staying up and I'm tipping them to defeat Brentford on Sunday. Barnet, of the National League, are eager to end a depressing season on a positive note and they are worth a punt against Bromley, who are ending the campaign with a whimper. Two relegated clubs, Dover and Weymouth, face each other. Dover have been in better form lately and I reckon they'll come out on top. 

 

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 7-8

Ten draws: Burnley v Aston Villa, Leicester v Everton, Birmingham v Blackburn, Sheffield United v Fulham, Stoke v Coventry, Mansfield v Forest Green, Oldham v Crawley, Stevenage v Salford, Torquay v Chesterfield, Woking v Eastleigh.

Best draws: Burnley v Aston Villa, Leicester v Everton, Birmingham v Blackburn, Mansfield v Forest Green, Stevenage v Salford.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Nottingham Forest, Blackpool, Middlesbrough, Northampton, Swindon, Barnet.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Manchester City, Derby, Luton, West Brom, Bradford City, Bristol Rovers, Harrogate, Newport.

Pick of the draws: Burnley's exciting charge towards Premier League safety may be checked by Aston Villa, who have underperformed this season but have kept clean sheets in their past two matches. Everton's terrible away record is the main reason they are fighting relegation. However, they could get something from Sunday's trip to Leicester, who may suffer an adverse reaction after losing to Roma in the Europa Conference League semi-finals. Birmingham would almost certainly have been relegated from the Championship except for the points deductions to Derby and Reading. As they host Blackburn, who have blown the chance of reaching the play-offs, these are two dispirited sides with little to play for. Forest Green, already promoted, will probably need to win their final game to become League Two champions but I can't see them doing it at Mansfield, who have an outside chance of automatic promotion. The mood at Stevenage, who have avoided the drop into the National League, will be much more relaxed and it won't surprise me if they hold Salford, who have missed out on the play-offs.

Away days: Nottingham Forest, third in the table, are in pole position in the Championship play-offs. I think they'll make a quick recovery from their midweek defeat at Bournemouth and beat Hull. Blackpool's 2-0 home loss against relegated Derby last weekend was surprising and they won't want to make the same mistake at Peterborough, who also drop into League One. Middlesbrough have regained their mojo and will be disappointed with anything less than three points at Preston. Northampton know that victory at lowly Barrow will virtually guarantee them promotion to League One and I'll be surprised if they don't achieve it. I believe Swindon's marvellous away record (12 wins) will clinch them a League Two play-off place at Walsall. Although they have suffered in the National League this season, Barnet are worth backing at Weymouth, who have done even worse and are going down.

Homes sweet homes: Derby may be down from the Championship but they are far from out and after winning at Blackpool last weekend they are worth a wager against Cardiff, who have disappointed. That 4-1 victory in League Two at Sutton last Saturday was Bradford City's best display so far under Mark Hughes and I'm tipping them to again come out on top against Carlisle. Harrogate's 3-1 win at promoted Forest Green was one of the upsets of last weekend and will encourage them when they take on Sutton at home.

Tipping info: I scored six out of six with my away selections last weekend. Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Sunderland, Leyton Orient and Bristol Rovers all obliged.