Ten draws: Aston Villa v Bournemouth, Wolves v Leeds, Blackpool v Coventry, Reading v Hull, Swansea v Bristol City, Accrington v MK Dons, Cheltenham v Exeter, Stockport v Mansfield, Tranmere v Newport, Partick v Dundee.
Best draws: Aston Villa v Bournemouth, Blackpool v Coventry, Swansea v Bristol City, Stockport v Mansfield, Partick v Dundee.
Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Newcastle (Friday), Luton, Portsmouth, Charlton, Swindon, East Fife.
Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Millwall, Stoke, Watford, Ipswich, Plymouth, Leyton Orient, Airdrieonians.
Pick of the draws: Bournemouth's fight against relegation from the Premier League was strengthened by their unexpected 1-0 home victory over Liverpool last Saturday. By all accounts it was deserved and I can see them frustrating Aston Villa, who are very up and down. Lowly Blackpool's 6-1 home triumph against Queens Park Rangers in a midweek Championship fixture took everybody by surprise but I doubt they'll have similar success when they host Coventry, who are proving harder to beat. Swansea's rough patch will be tested by the visit of Bristol City, who are in better shape. I suspect that Mansfield would have at least drawn at Northampton in midweek if they had kept 11 players on the pitch. The League Two play-off contenders travel to Stockport, who are also in the hunt promotion, and I predict a point apiece. Dundee, second in the Scottish Championship, go to Partick, who are just below them and in good form. Deadlock is the most likely result.
Away days: Newcastle's 2-1 win at home to Wolves last Sunday was their first three-pointer since January. They will be keen to stay in contention for next season's Champions League and they are worth a punt at Nottingham Forest, who were out of sorts when losing 3-1 at Tottenham last weekend. No team in the Championship has won more away matches than Luton, who are into double figures. They deserve to be in the play-off positions and I believe they'll take maximum points at Sunderland on Saturday. Portsmouth's away record in League One holds up well. They travel to Bristol Rovers, whose home form is indifferent. Charlton, 4-1 winners at Morecambe in midweek, will fancy themselves at struggling Cambridge. The same can be said for mid-table Swindon, who visit Rochdale, League Two's bottom side. I reckon East Fife, of Scottish League Two, 2-1 winners at Stenhousemuir last Saturday, will gain their second consecutive away victory at the expense of relegation-threatened Bonnyrigg Rose.
Homes sweet homes: Three wins in a row have galvanised Chelsea, who aim to finish their Premier League season strongly. I recommend them against Everton, who are especially weak away from home. Stoke have surged up the Championship table after victories over Sunderland (5-1 away), Blackburn (3-2 home) and a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough in midweek. That should give them the confidence to defeat the better-placed Norwich. After their superb 2-0 win at Bolton last weekend, Ipswich are only two points behind League One runners-up Plymouth. It's time they turned some of those home draws into wins and I believe they'll do just that when they host Shrewsbury.
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