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

Ten draws: Bournemouth v Brighton, Bristol City v Burnley, Millwall v Sunderland, Preston v Derby, Swansea v Leeds, Lincoln v Wycombe, Northampton v Cambridge, Peterborough v Reading, Stevenage v Leyton Orient, St Johnstone v Kilmarnock. 

Best draws: Bournemouth v Brighton, Bristol City v Burnley, Millwall v Sunderland, Northampton v Cambridge, Peterborough v Reading.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Brentford, Stoke, Stockport, Birmingham, Doncaster, MK Dons. 

Ten homes: Arsenal, Fulham, Luton, Barnsley, Mansfield, Wrexham, Notts County, Swindon, Barnet, York.

Pick of the draws: Bournemouth, with recent home wins over Arsenal (2-0) and Manchester City (2-1) and Brighton, who are in the top six on merit, are both punching above their weight in the Premier League and this is shaping up to be a close-fought encounter. Burnley, though lying fourth in the Championship, have been goal-shy lately and may have to settle for a point at mid-table Bristol City. Leaders Sunderland, three games without a win, look vulnerable at Millwall, who have upset similarly fancied sides, including Leeds, recently. Although League One strugglers Cambridge came a 6-1 cropper at Peterborough in their previous away game, they are showing more spirit in their battle to avoid relegation and can deny Northampton. Reading played well when drawing 1-1 at Stevenage two weeks ago and a point should not be beyond them at Peterborough. 

Away days: Brentford always look like scoring and are one of the Premier League's entertainers. I think their attacking quality will give them the edge at Everton, who are less fluent. In the Championship, I have to fancy mid-table Stoke at bottom club Queens Park Rangers, who are in desperate straits. Stockport, fresh from beating Bolton (5-0) and Wrexham (1-0) at home, are highly recommended at Burton, who are second last in League One. Second-placed Birmingham look an away banker at bottom-of-the-table Shrewsbury. I believe Doncaster, third in League Two, will recover from the disappointment of only drawing 1-1 at home to Salford by defeating lowly Carlisle and I'm tipping MK Dons, who fought back from 2-0 down to beat Cheltenham 3-2 at home last Saturday, to win at Fleetwood.

Homes sweet homes: Arsenal know they cannot afford to drop many more points if they are to overtake Manchester City and Premier League leaders Liverpool. Despite a worrying injury list, I'm backing them to return to winning ways against Nottingham Forest, who are one place below them. Luton haven't stopped sliding since being relegated to the Championship at the end of last season. However, they will feel they have a chance against Hull, who are equally suffering. I'm going for Swindon, third from last in League Two but now managed by the eccentric veteran Ian Holloway, to come out on top when they host bottom club Morecambe. 

 

 

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

 Ten draws: Harrogate v Chesterfield, Newport v Grimsby, Livingston v Falkirk, Dumbarton v Queen of the South, Spartans v Stirling, Stranraer v Bonnyrigg Rose, Braintree v Fylde, Dagenham & Redbridge v Barnet, Montenegro v Iceland, Turkey v Wales.

Best draws: Harrogate v Chesterfield, Livingston v Falkirk, Stranraer v Bonnyrigg Rose, Dagenham & Redbridge v Barnet, Turkey v Wales.

Weekend football's best bets: Six aways: Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Barnsley, Alloa, East Fife.

Ten homes: Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Stockport, Accrington, Doncaster, Elgin, Peterhead, Gateshead, Hartlepool.

Pick of the draws: You don't know what Harrogate, in League Two, are going to do next. After knocking League One high-flyers Wrexham out of the FA Cup, they lost at home to Morecambe, the Football League's lowest club. Their visitors Chesterfield are equally erratic, losing 3-0 at home to Accrington last weekend. If there's one side who can avoid defeat to Championship leaders Falkirk, it's second-placed Livingston, who won 3-1 at Hamilton last Saturday. Stranraer and Bonnyrigg Rose, who play each other in Scottish League Two, had good results against higher-placed teams last weekend, Stranraer winning 2-1 at East Fife and Bonnyrigg beating Elgin 2-0 at home. Barnet, third in the National League, aren't so formidable on their travels and could drop points at mid-table Dagenham. Craig Bellamy, Wales' new manager, seems to have his team fired up and I'm tipping them to deny group leaders Turkey on Saturday in the Nations League. 

Away days: Continuing the Nations League theme, Belgium look a sure thing at Israel, as do the Czech Republic at Albania. Group leaders Greece showed what they were capable of when deservedly beating England 2-1 at Wembley and are fancied to win again in Finland. Barnsley's fine away form has kept them in the League One promotion hunt and they travel to Cambridge, who crashed 6-1 at Peterborough last Saturday. Alloa, top of Scottish League One, go to crisis club Inverness, who have had 15 points deducted, and East Fife, second in Scottish League Two but surprisingly beaten at home last weekend, should recover quickly against struggling Clyde.

Homes sweet homes: Stockport, 5-0 winners at home to Bolton last Saturday, are worth a wager in their League One clash with promotion-seeking Wrexham. Lowly Accrington's 3-0 triumph at Chesterfield in League Two was one of the best results of last weekend and I'm tipping them to follow it up against Swindon, who sit just above the relegation zone. Veteran boss Lennie Lawrence, 76, has been appointed manager of Hartlepool, who are in the National League. They scored three goals in a 5-3 loss at leaders York last Saturday, which makes me think they have a good chance of beating Eastleigh, who have only two more points.

Pools info: Charlton v Peterborough (match No.2 on coupon) has been postponed because of international call-ups and will be assessed by the pools panel. 

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

 Ten draws: Brentford v Bournemouth, Crystal Palace v Fulham, Nottingham Forest v Newcastle, Stoke v Millwall, Sunderland v Coventry, Stockport v Bolton, Wrexham v Mansfield, Gillingham v Port Vale, Tranmere v Newport, Hibernian v St Mirren.

Best draws: Brentford v Bournemouth, Crystal Palace v Fulham, Stoke v Millwall, Sunderland v Coventry, Wrexham v Mansfield. 

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Everton, Lincoln, Huddersfield, Wycombe, Gateshead, Forest Green. Ten homes: Liverpool, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Sheffield United, Birmingham, Burton, Chesterfield, Doncaster, Salford.

Pick of the draws: Bournemouth showed their quality with Premier League home wins over Arsenal (2-0 and Manchester City (2-1). They go to Brentford, who are formidable on their own ground. Fulham's added-time goals to beat Brentford on Monday will have lifted the mood but Crystal Palace have also perked up recently, defeating Tottenham and knocking Aston Villa out of the League Cup. Millwall's startling improvement has seen them move into the Championship play-off places and they won't fazed about having to go to Stoke. At first glance, Sunderland look a home banker but Coventry have regained their mojo with victories over Luton (3-2, home) and Middlesbrough (3-0, away) and they could surprise the Championship leaders. Wrexham v Mansfield is a clash between League One high-flyers, which looks one of the likeliest draws on the coupon. 

Away days: Everton won 2-0 at Ipswich last month and could be similarly successful at West Ham, who don't inspire confidence. Lincoln are deservedly in the League One promotion shake-up and I rate their chances at Bristol Rovers. Although Huddersfield were on the wrong end of an FA Cup upset at Tamworth last Friday, I think they'll recover sufficiently to triumph at relegation-threatened Crawley. Wycombe are the new League One leaders after their remarkable 5-0 midweek away success at Stockport and are impossible to ignore at Wigan. In the National League, promotion-seeking Gateshead and Forest Green are recommended at Fylde and Maidenhead respectively. 

Homes sweet homes: The lack of a cutting edge is the main reason Portsmouth are bottom of the Championship, with only one victory to their name. However, I believe they'll score enough goals to beat Preston, who lie just above the relegation zone. Burton are bottom of League One and without a win in 12 league games. They'll never have a better opportunity to get off the mark against Shrewsbury, who are also in the drop zone and were knocked out of the FA Cup by League Two Salford last Saturday. I think home advantage will be a decisive factor when League Two promotion contenders, Doncaster (fourth) and Notts County (third) play each other on Saturday. 

 

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of November 2-3

 Ten draws: Manchester United v Chelsea, Tottenham v Aston Villa, Cardiff v Norwich, Blackburn v Sheffield United, Millwall v Burnley, Gillingham v Blackpool, Tranmere v Oldham, Walsall v Bolton, St Mirren v Ross, Celtic v Aberdeen.

Best draws: Tottenham v Aston Villa, Cardiff v Norwich, Blackburn v Sheffield United, Millwall v Burnley, Tranmere v Oldham.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Huddersfield (Friday), Sunderland, Wigan, Crawley, Barnsley, Hamilton. Ten homes: Notts County (Friday), Wolves, Leeds, Oxford, Chesterfield, Crewe, Exeter, Reading, Rochdale, Salford.

Pick of the draws: Although at first glance Aston Villa look the likelier bet, you are never quite sure which Tottenham are going to turn up. Will it be the Spurs who beat West Ham 4-1 at home two weeks ago or the Spurs who lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace last Sunday? Cardiff have moved out of the Championship relegation zone with some impressive displays but may find Norwich more difficult opponents. The visitors came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at home to Middlesbrough last Sunday. Staying in the Championship, Blackburn have dropped only one point at home so far but if any side can frustrate them it's high-flying Sheffield United, who returned to form by beating Stoke 2-0 at home last Saturday. Millwall have climbed into the top half, so don't be surprised if they defy second-placed Burnley on Sunday. It's the FA Cup first round proper this weekend and bear in mind there are no replays this season. I believe that Oldham, fifth in the National League and with only one away defeat, will be level with League Two strugglers Tranmere after 90 minutes.

Away days: League One Huddersfield are seemingly over their dodgy spell and should take their FA Cup tie at Tamworth, of the National League, in their stride on Friday. Sunderland, who lead the Championship by five points, look an away banker at second-from-bottom Queens Park Rangers. Despite being in the bottom half of League One, I expect Wigan to come through their FA Cup tie at Carlisle, second from last in League Two. Crawley's precarious position in League One may not prevent them winning at  Maidenhead, of the National League. I tip Barnsley, the League One away specialists, to come through against Port Vale, the League Two leaders, and Hamilton, of the Scottish Championship, to add to the gloom of bottom team Airdrieonians.

Homes sweet homes: Wolves will have taken heart from their fabulous late comeback to draw 2-2 at Brighton last Saturday and they are worth a punt to win their first Premier League match of the season when they host fellow strugglers Crystal Palace on Saturday. In the FA Cup, Rochdale, sixth in the National League, have a good chance of upsetting League Two newcomers Bromley, while Salford, who are mid-table in League Two but improving, will feel quietly confident of knocking out Shrewsbury, 23rd in League One. 

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of October 26-27

Ten draws: Arsenal v Liverpool, Coventry v Luton, Swansea v Millwall, Watford v Blackburn, Lincoln v Stockport, Mansfield v Birmingham, Rotherham v Stevenage, Bradford City v Doncaster, Bromley v Barrow, Grimsby v Milton Keynes Dons.

Best draws: Coventry v Luton, Watford v Blackburn, Bradford City v Doncaster, Bromley v Barrow, Grimsby v MK Dons.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Manchester United, Leeds, Barnsley, Walsall, Chesterfield, Kilmarnock. Ten homes: Chelsea, Everton, Burnley, Plymouth, Sheffield United, Cambridge, Wycombe, Notts County, Falkirk, Eastleigh.

Pick of the draws: Luton lifted their Championship gloom with a morale-boosting 3-0 home win over fierce rivals Watford last Saturday and will travel with optimism to Coventry, who have surprisingly slipped into the relegation zone. Watford's away form is letting them down but they are much better at home and should at least get a point when they host Blackburn, who are above them in the Championship. Bradford City and Doncaster, who lie fifth and fourth respectively, are genuine League Two promotion contenders. Both won at the weekend and this is perhaps the likeliest draw on the coupon. Still in League Two, Barrow have dropped out of the play-off places and could be vulnerable at Bromley, who had a fine 1-0 midweek victory at Doncaster. After two consecutive wins, fast-climbing MK Dons will feel they have a chance at Grimsby, who are better away.

Away days: Manchester United's form is nothing to shout about but they seem a sounder bet than their hosts West Ham, who have already lost three home games. After last season's agonising near miss, Leeds are doubly determined to gain promotion to the Premier League and three points at Bristol City will boost their chances. Barnsley, with four away wins in League One, will probably make it five at struggling Shrewsbury. Walsall, second in League Two with seven goals in their past two matches, are strongly fancied at lowly Accrington, as are free-scoring Chesterfield at bottom club Morecambe. In the Scottish Premiership, Kilmarnock, now on the rise, are worth backing at Ross County.

Homes sweet homes: Last Saturday's well deserved 2-0 success at Ipswich has put Everton in the mood to beat Fulham. Anyway, it's time Everton's home fortunes improved in what is their final season at Goodison Park. Plymouth's 5-0 thrashing at Cardiff in the Championship last Saturday was partly down to having to play with 10 men for most of the game. I'm tipping them to recover when they entertain Preston. Suddenly there's light at the end of the League One tunnel for Cambridge, who sit 23rd. Having defeated Wigan 2-0 at home last Saturday and Stevenage 2-0 away in midweek, they are going for a hat-trick of wins against Burton, the only side below them.