Pools tips and best bets for weekend of December 8-9

Ten draws: Burnley v Brighton, Leicester v Tottenham, Brentford v Swansea, Millwall v Hull, Sheffield Wednesday v Rotherham, Burton v Shrewsbury, Wycombe v Barnsley, Stevenage v Lincoln, Swindon v Newport, Hamilton v Hibernian.

Best draws: Burnley v Brighton, Brentford v Swansea, Burton v Shrewsbury, Wycombe v Barnsley, Stevenage v Lincoln.

Best weekend away bets: Wolves, Sunderland, Doncaster, Grimsby, Northampton, Forest Green.

Best weekend home bets: Chelsea, West Ham, Birmingham, Leeds, Stoke, Wimbledon, Colchester, Tranmere, Falkirk, Barrow.

Pick of the draws: A tremendous effort by Brighton in midweek - beating Crystal Palace 3-1 at home despite being a man short for over half the match - may catch up with them at Burnley, who badly need points to boost their hopes of Premier League survival. Brentford halted their slide down the Championship by holding West Bromwich Albion to a draw at The Hawthorns on Monday. Don't discount another stalemate when mid-table Swansea visit west London on Saturday. Shrewsbury have climbed away from the League One relegation zone and will be disappointed not to get something from their trip to Burton, who are immediately below them. Promoted Wycombe have adapted very well to a higher division and can frustrate the promotion-seeking and free-scoring Barnsley. Lincoln, hot favourites to go up from League Two, have a tough task at Stevenage, who beat leaders MK Dons at home recently and lie just below the play-off places.

Away days: Wolves, who halted their slump by defeating Chelsea at home in midweek, are better than their hosts Newcastle and I expect them to show that on Sunday against a team who have already lost six matches at St James' Park. Sunderland, second in League One with only one defeat to their name, should overcome Accrington, who have slipped down the table. Doncaster's 2-0 victory at Charlton in last weekend's FA Cup second round was well deserved. This weekend Doncaster appear to have an easier assignment at relegation-threatened Bristol Rovers. League Two Grimsby are suddenly finding the net after a barren run in front of goal and will fancy themselves at lowly Cheltenham. Northampton, who have markedly improved under Keith Curle, are worth a punt at Crawley while successful travellers Forest Green are highly recommended at Yeovil.

Homes sweet homes: If any team can inflict Manchester City's first Premier League defeat of the season it's Chelsea, who are difficult to contain when in full flow. League One strugglers Wimbledon have a new manager in Wally Downes and can celebrate his appointment by beating erratic Rochdale. Falkirk, second from bottom in the Scottish Championship, were surprise 3-2 winners at Inverness last Saturday. That should encourage them to break their duck at home, especially when their opponents are fellow strugglers Alloa.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of December 1-2

Ten draws: Arsenal v Tottenham, Newcastle v West Ham, Bolton v Wigan, Middlesbrough v Aston Villa, Livingston v Motherwell, Dunfermline v Morton, Dumbarton v Brechin, Stranraer v Forfar, Roma v Inter Milan, RB Leipzig v Borussia Monchengladbach.

Best draws: Arsenal v Tottenham, Newcastle v West Ham, Bolton v Wigan, Middlesbrough v Aston Villa, Dunfermline v Morton.

Best weekend away bets: Stoke, Oldham, Newport, Rangers, Ross, Cowdenbeath.

Best weekend home bets: Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Bristol City, Norwich, Inverness, Arbroath, Clyde, Chesterfield, Leyton Orient.

Pick of the draws: In the past five seasons there have been three 1-1 draws between Arsenal and Tottenham at the Emirates and it wouldn't surprise me if that was the score on Sunday. Apart from losing at Watford, Spurs have been faultless on their Premier League travels this term (winning seven out of eight) and Arsenal, although unbeaten in 11 league matches, will have to raise their game to prevail. Three consecutive victories have eased Newcastle's fears of relegation. West Ham, their visitors on Saturday, missed some good opportunities against Manchester City last weekend and I don't think they'll be as wasteful against less frightening opponents. Bolton v Wigan is a Championship clash between two out-of-form sides. Bolton have slid into the relegation zone but Wigan's away record is terrible (eight defeats out of nine). Aston Villa are getting into their stride under new manager Dean Smith and can gain a point at Middlesbrough, who have automatic promotion in their sights. Dunfermline's artificial surface seems to have hindered their home form in the Scottish Championship and visitors Morton should benefit.

Away days: Stoke have an ideal opportunity to climb the Championship table at Reading, who appear destined for a season of struggle. League Two Oldham had a scare before coming through their televised FA Cup first-round tie at Hampton & Richmond. They'll have learnt a few lessons from that and ought to see off National League strugglers Maidstone. Promotion hopefuls Newport have the flair and character to overcome National League high-flyers Wrexham. Rangers, who are steadily improving, must be backed to beat long-time leaders Hearts, who have suddenly hit the wall in the Scottish Premiership. Ross, seeking promotion from the Scottish Championship, look a sound bet at lowly Alloa and I'm taking League Two Cowdenbeath to make it three wins from three at Albion.

Homes sweet homes: Crystal Palace are long overdue a home win in the Premier League and I believe it will come against Burnley, who are badly out of sorts. Huddersfield's display when winning 2-0 at Wolves last Sunday was exemplary and I'm backing them to follow it up against Brighton, who are fragile away from home. Relegated Chesterfield's struggles in the National League have been a major surprise. Perhaps the FA Cup will provide some relief and they are worth a punt against Grimsby, of League Two.

Pools info: West Bromwich v Brentford (No 20 on coupon) has been moved back to Monday and will be judged by the pools panel. Dundee United v Ayr (25) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Nov 24-25

Ten draws: Fulham v Southampton, Watford v Liverpool, Stoke v Queens Park Rangers, Swansea v Norwich, Wimbledon v Southend, Bradford City v Oxford, Rochdale v Accrington, Colchester v Exeter, Crawley v Crewe, St Johnstone v Kilmarnock.

Best draws: Fulham v Southampton, Watford v Liverpool, Swansea v Norwich, Wimbledon v Southend, Bradford City v Oxford.

Best weekend away bets: Middlesbrough, Derby, Luton, Portsmouth, Bury, Brora.

Best weekend home bets: Everton, Wolves, Hull, Leeds, Preston, Wigan, Barnsley, Charlton, Carlisle, Ross.

Pick of the draws: Rumours abound that if Southampton lose to Fulham, the Premier League's bottom club, at Craven Cottage on Saturday, manager Mark Hughes will be out of a job. Poor though Southampton are, I believe Hughes will be spared that indignity. Fulham have appointed Leicester's title-winning boss Claudio Ranieri as their new manager but he has a lot of work to do to restore their shattered confidence. Watford have already beaten Tottenham at home and they have the ability to hinder Liverpool's title challenge. Liverpool remain unbeaten after 12 league games but they have faltered a bit recently and could be denied at Vicarage Road. The confidence of Championship leaders Norwich must be sky high after their surge to the top and they can take a point off Swansea, who lie just outside the play-off places. Wimbledon must be at their lowest ebb after sacking manager Neal Ardley. Only a superior goal difference keeps them off the bottom of League One but I believe they'll share the spoils with Southend, who may feel the effects of being taken to extra time in their FA Cup first-round replay victory at Crawley in midweek. Improving Oxford have drawn six of their nine away matches. I can see them making it seven at bottom club Bradford City, who at least held high-flying Peterborough to a draw last weekend.

Away days: Middlesbrough's mean defence is their chief asset and it should see them through at Brentford, who have slid down the Championship table since the departure of manager Dean Smith to Aston Villa. Derby's 3-0 home defeat by Villa last time out was a surprise and I think they'll bounce straight back by winning at Sheffield Wednesday, who are in the doldrums. If Luton's away form matched their home record they would be certainties for promotion from League One and a trip to lowly Gillingham is a good opportunity for them to make a statement. Leaders Portsmouth, unbeaten away, look a sound proposition at Scunthorpe and Bury, joint top scorers in League Two, must fancy themselves at struggling Cambridge. Brora, flying high in the Highland League, have the best chance of causing an upset in the Scottish Cup third round at the weekend. They travel to Cowdenbeath, who in League Two have lost more at home than they've won.

Homes sweet homes: Although in the Championship relegation zone, Hull continue to show their battling qualities and they are worth a punt against maddeningly inconsistent Nottingham Forest. Preston are another club who are displaying the fighting spirit to ward off the drop and they have a reasonable chance of upsetting Blackburn, who are eight points better off. League Two Carlisle are due a good result at home and I'm backing them to get it against Forest Green, who are experiencing a blip.

Pools info: Burnley v Newcastle (No 3 on coupon) is being played on Monday and will be judged by the pools panel.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Nov 17-18

Ten draws: Northern Ireland v Austria, Italy v Portugal, Moldova v Luxembourg, Accrington v Barnsley, Burton v Coventry, Shrewsbury v Rochdale, Southend v Blackpool, Grimsby v Crawley, Airdrieonians v East Fife, Montrose v Stranraer.

Best draws: Italy v Portugal, Accrington v Barnsley, Shrewsbury v Rochdale, Southend v Blackpool, Grimsby v Crawley.

Best weekend away bets: Scotland, Belgium, Tranmere, Raith, Harrogate, Wrexham.

Best weekend home bets: England, Greece, Serbia, Doncaster, Luton, Peterborough, Sunderland, Bury, Oldham, Ayr.

Pick of the draws: In the latest Uefa Nations League fixtures, Portugal, the European champions, have a difficult assignment at Italy, who rarely give much away. Barnsley, fourth in League One, made impressively short work of Notts County in the FA Cup first round last Saturday, which should serve them well at sixth-placed Accrington, who have already recorded four home draws. Lowly Shrewsbury, who have sacked their manager John Askey, will find it hard to improve on a draw against Rochdale, who are more effective on their travels. I rate Southend v Blackpool as one of the best draws on the coupon. Both are lying in mid-table and Blackpool have registered seven draws from their 15 League One games this season. Grimsby's 3-1 victory over high-riding MK Dons was one of the eye-catching results in the FA Cup last weekend and they look good for at least a point against Crawley, who have lost six away matches out of eight in League Two.

Away days: The Nations League trip to Albania is a heaven-sent opportunity for Scotland to get some much-needed points on the board. Belgium, World Cup semi-finalists in the summer, show no signs of losing their focus and are recommended at Switzerland. Tranmere, fourth in League Two and favourites to gain their second consecutive promotion, must be backed at Crewe, who have lost their past three league games without scoring. Although Raith were beaten at East Fife last weekend, they should have too much for Stenhousemuir, who are bottom of Scottish League One. Harrogate, who are in the National League promotion shake-up, are well worth a punt at struggling Maidenhead while leaders Wrexham ought to prevail at Maidstone, who have won only once at home.

Homes sweet homes: I expect England, buoyed by their fine 3-2 win in Spain, to gain some measure of revenge over Croatia, who were England's conquerors in this summer's World Cup semi-finals. The goals are flowing for Bury in League Two and I'm tipping them to put Stevenage to the sword. Oldham survived an almighty FA Cup scare at Hampton & Richmond on Monday and I believe they'll celebrate their escape by defeating Cambridge.

Pools info: the following matches have been postponed and will be judged by the pools panel: Portsmouth v Charlton (No 23 on coupon), Dundee United v Alloa (37), Ross v Dunfermline (40), Cowdenbeath v Queen's Park (48) and Edinburgh v Peterhead (49).

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of Nov 10-11

Ten draws: Bolton v Swansea, Nottingham Forest v Stoke, Queens Park Rangers v Brentford, West Brom v Leeds, Hearts v Kilmarnock, Ross v Dundee United, Dumbarton v Stenhousemuir, East Fife v Raith, Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach.

Best draws: Bolton v Swansea, Queens Park Rangers v Brentford, West Brom v Leeds, Hearts v Kilmarnock, Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich.

Best weekend away bets: West Ham, Bournemouth, Watford, Peterhead, Burton, Coventry.

Best weekend home bets: Arsenal, Cardiff, Leicester, Blackburn, Norwich, Sheffield United (Friday), Aberdeen (Friday), Dundee, Chesterfield, Sutton.

Pick of the draws: Although nothing is going right for Bolton at the moment in the Championship, they can salvage something from the visit of Swansea, who unexpectedly lost at Rotherham last weekend. Queens Park Rangers v Brentford is a clash between two mid-table teams. QPR have blown hot and cold under Steve McClaren while Brentford have faltered since the departure of their manager, Dean Smith, to Aston Villa. Despite West Brom dropping out of the Championship play-off places, they still pose a threat to Leeds, whose 2-1 victory at Wigan last Sunday enabled them to return to the top of the table. That 5-0 away defeat to Celtic last Saturday may have damaged the confidence of the Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, so don't be surprised if they fail to defeat Kilmarnock. Bayern Munich, who lie third in the Bundesliga, aren't quite the force of last season. They face a tough assignment at leaders Borussia Dortmund, who have yet to lose.

Away days: Huddersfield gained their first Premier League win this season at home to Fulham on Monday but I doubt whether they can follow that up against West Ham, who won well against Burnley last weekend and are fancied to make it two in a row. Bournemouth will make the long journey to Newcastle with confidence, having already beaten West Ham, Watford and Fulham away this season. Newcastle got off the mark at home against Watford last Saturday but were grateful for their opponents' wastefulness and may not be so fortunate this weekend. A trip to Southampton won't hold any fears for Watford, who deserve their place in the top half of the Premier League. Saints are without a home win this season, having scored only three goals at St Mary's. It's hard to oppose Scottish League Two leaders Peterhead at Queen's Park while in the FA Cup first round, on-form Burton and Coventry are worth a punt at Scunthorpe and Walsall respectively.

Homes sweet homes: Cardiff, in the Premier League relegation zone, have a good opportunity for some respite in the Saturday early kick-off against Brighton, who struggle on the road. Aberdeen, 2-1 winners at Kilmarnock last Sunday, will overtake Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership if they defeat them on Friday and the signs look good. Bottom club Dundee, who have lost all six home games, host second from bottom St Mirren, who have lost all five away. Something has to give and I believe ground advantage will have the last word here.