Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 22-23

Ten draws: Swansea v Barnsley, Sunderland v Lincoln, Forest Green v Newport, Altrincham v Yeovil, Chesterfield v Dagenham & Redbridge, Celta Vigo v Real Betis, Granada v Getafe, Atalanta v AC Milan, Cagliari v Genoa, Sassuolo v Lazio.

Best draws: Forest Green v Newport, Altrincham v Yeovil, Chesterfield v Dagenham & Redbridge, Atalanta v AC Milan, Sassuolo v Lazio.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Chelsea, Newcastle, Hibernian, Bromley, Halifax, Solihull.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Arsenal, Leeds, Leicester, Sheffield United, Morecambe, Eastleigh, Notts County, Stockport, Torquay, Wrexham.

Pick of the draws: Newport hold a 2-0 lead from their League Two semi-final play-off against Forest Green and because they are the side on form I can't see them relinquishing it in the second leg on Sunday. Neither Altrincham nor Yeovil have much to play for in the National League and I think that will be reflected in stalemate on Saturday. Fast-climbing Dagenham & Redbridge have drawn 1-1 at Stockport and beaten Halifax 3-0 in the past two weeks, so they have no reason to fear a trip to Chesterfield. Inter Milan may be runaway winners of the Italian League but Atalanta are in contention to finish runners-up. A point against high-flying AC Milan will improve their chances. Mid-table Sassuolo, who won 3-1 at Parma last weekend, can deny the better-placed Lazio victory.

Away days: Three points from their final Premier League fixture on Sunday will guarantee Chelsea Champions League football next season and they'll be confident of getting them at Aston Villa. Newcastle have improved markedly in recent weeks and are worth backing at Fulham, who are resigned to relegation. Hibernian look in better shape than St Johnstone for the Scottish Cup final on Saturday and I'm taking them to win in 90 minutes. Bromley, who are fighting hard to move into the National League play-off positions, are recommended at Aldershot and Halifax are expected to confirm their superiority over Maidenhead. Solihull are a confident selection at struggling Wealdstone.

Homes sweet homes: Nothing less than victory will do for FA Cup winners Leicester in their quest for Champions League qualification. Tottenham are on a downer after losing at home to Aston Villa in midweek and I feel that the presence of home supporters will lift Leicester. Sheffield United, who are doomed to relegation, surprised everybody when they won 1-0 at Everton with a spirited display last Sunday. I wouldn't put it past them to surprise Burnley either and I suggest they are worth a punt. Eastleigh seem to be timing their late run to perfection in the National League and another three points look there for the taking against Boreham Wood.

Pools info: Levante v Cadiz (No.26 on coupon) has been brought forward to Friday and is therefore void.

I scored five out of six aways last weekend with Manchester City, Liverpool, Hartlepool, Wrexham and Sutton.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of May 15-16

Ten draws: Burnley v Leeds, Tottenham v Wolves, Hamilton v Kilmarnock, St Mirren v Dundee United, Getafe v Levante, Villarreal v Sevilla, Juventus v Inter Milan, Roma v Lazio, Udinese v Sampdoria, Borussia Monchengladbach v Stuttgart.

Best draws: Burnley v Leeds, Tottenham v Wolves, St Mirren v Dundee United, Villarreal v Sevilla, Juventus v Inter Milan.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Manchester City (Friday), Liverpool, Celtic, Hartlepool, Wrexham, Sutton.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton, Motherwell, Rangers, Chesterfield, Dagenham & Redbridge, Eastleigh, Notts County, Solihull.

Pick of the draws: Leeds beat Tottenham convincingly at Elland Road last Saturday and look on course for a point at Burnley, who also had a good result, winning 2-0 at Fulham to send the London club down to the Championship. Tottenham's chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League have almost vanished. As a result, they are by no means certain to defeat Wolves, who fought back from a goal behind to overcome Brighton at Molineux last Sunday. St Mirren and Dundee United, who play each other in the Scottish Premiership, may be unable to shake off the disappointment of losing the Scottish Cup semi-finals and a stalemate is predicted. Against expectations, Villarreal have reached the Europa League final but they will be tested  against Sevilla, who are two places higher at fourth in the Spanish League. Inter Milan, the Italian League champions, won't have things all their own way at Juventus, who lie fifth.

Away days: Manchester City were confirmed as Premier League champions in midweek and will surely celebrate the achievement by taking three points at Newcastle. Liverpool seem to have their mojo back and will be hot favourites at relegated West Brom on Sunday. Celtic were among the goals in the Scottish Premiership in midweek, beating St Johnstone 4-0 at home, and I can see them outscoring Hibernian on Saturday. Hartlepool are in National League promotion contention and worth backing at Aldershot. The same can be said for Wrexham, who travel to play Boreham Wood, and it's hard to see leaders Sutton slipping up at Maidenhead.

Homes sweet homes: Although Crystal Palace are unreliable at Selhurst Park, they may be worth a wager against Aston Villa, who seem to be ending the season with a whimper. Dagenham & Redbridge are bang in form in the National League and worth a shout against higher-placed Halifax. Notts County have clicked at just the right time to surge into the play-off positions and are tipped to get the better of Bromley.

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

Ten draws: Aston Villa v Manchester United, Wolves v Brighton, Coventry v Millwall, Nottingham Forest v Preston, Queens Park Rangers v Luton, Watford v Swansea, Doncaster v Peterborough, Ipswich v Fleetwood, Crawley v Bolton, Halifax v Boreham Wood.

Best draws: Wolves v Brighton, Nottingham Forest v Preston, Watford v Swansea, Ipswich v Fleetwood, Crawley v Bolton.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Tottenham, Brentford, Forest Green, Newport, Eastleigh, Solihull.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Liverpool, West Ham, Derby, Middlesbrough, Reading, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Exeter, Morecambe, Tranmere.

Pick of the draws: Brighton virtually ensured their Premier League safety with a merited 2-0 home win over Leeds last Saturday and they seem on course for at least a point against Wolves, whose previous home match ended in a 4-0 defeat by Burnley. Preston, mid-table in the Championship, raised their game when they beat Barnsley 2-0 at home last weekend. If they play half as well on Saturday they will surely avoid defeat at Nottingham Forest, who are ending the season tamely. As Watford have already been promoted to the top flight, they may be distracted against Swansea, who will contest the Championship play-offs. Ipswich's lack of goal threat in League One keeps them vulnerable and gives Fleetwood a good chance of sharing the spoils. A win on Saturday will clinch Bolton's promotion to League One but they may be denied by Crawley, who appear to have arrested their slide.

Away days: Tottenham, with an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League and 4-0 home winners over Sheffield United last Sunday, have more to play for than their hosts, Leeds, who are becalmed in mid-table. Brentford, third in the Championship, will probably relish a trip to Bristol City, who are badly out of sorts. Forest Green have moved back into the League Two play-off positions and are tipped to stay there after their match at Oldham, who are poor at home. Newport are also in the play-off mix and are strongly fancied at relegated Southend. In the National League, Eastleigh are recommended at off-form Altrincham and Solihull will start firm favourites at lowly King's Lynn. 

Homes sweet homes: West Ham, still in pursuit of a Champions League place, deserved their 2-1 victory at Burnley on Monday and will fancy themselves against Everton, even though the Merseysiders are playing better away from home. Three points will keep Derby up in their final Championship fixture of the season on Saturday and I believe they'll get them against Sheffield Wednesday, for whom anything less than a win will send them down. Reading's promotion challenge has petered out but they will be eager to end the season on a positive note and will approach their game against struggling Huddersfield with confidence.

Pools info: I scored five draws out of ten last weekend and three of my five best draws were correct. The three were: Luton 1 Middlesbrough 1, Accrington 1 Charlton 1 and Peterborough 3 Lincoln 3.

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

Ten draws: Brighton v Leeds, Manchester United v Liverpool, Huddersfield v Coventry, Luton v Middlesbrough, Preston v Barnsley, Stoke v Queens Park Rangers, Accrington v Charlton, Fleetwood v MK Dons, Peterborough v Lincoln, Rangers v Celtic.

Best draws: Brighton v Leeds, Luton v Middlesbrough, Preston v Barnsley, Accrington v Charlton, Peterborough v Lincoln.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: Manchester City, Blackburn, Bournemouth, Crewe, Ipswich, Salford.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Chelsea, Tottenham, Birmingham, Norwich, Hull, Barrow, Bradford City, Stevenage, Dundee United, St Mirren.

Pick of the draws: Brighton's main problem in the Premier League this season has been a lack of firepower. If they can rectify that on their home ground on Saturday, they should get something from the visit of Leeds, who often follow a good display with an indifferent one. Middlesbrough are in better heart after Championship victories over Rotherham (2-1, away) and Sheffield Wednesday (3-1, home). Luton, their hosts, fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Bristol City last Sunday and are also in good spirits. Now that Barnsley have qualified for the Championship play-offs they may be tempted to take their foot off the gas, which will benefit Preston. Accrington are the League One party-poopers, having held promotion-seeking Sunderland and Portsmouth to 3-3 draws in the past week. They are well equipped to deny Charlton, who are also challenging for the play-offs. Peterborough need a point to be certain of automatic promotion and I think they'll get it against Lincoln, who are third.

Away days: Manchester City's League Cup final win over Tottenham last Sunday was more convincing than the 1-0 score indicated and I can't see Crystal Palace causing the prospective Premier League champions too many problems. Blackburn hit Huddersfield for five in their Championship fixture last weekend and another win on Saturday could send Rotherham down. Bournemouth's seven-match winning league run was ended by Brentford last Saturday but I expect them to beat bottom club Wycombe with something to spare. Crewe thoroughly deserved their League One point at Charlton in midweek and will probably find relegated Bristol Rovers more accommodating opponents. Although Ipswich haven't scored for six games, they will surely end that sequence at Swindon, whose relegation has been confirmed. Three consecutive wins have revived Salford's hopes of promotion from League Two and I'm tipping them for a fourth straight success when they visit struggling Colchester.

Homes sweet homes: Manager Lee Bowyer has done a remarkable job in improving Birmingham's fortunes. The fear of relegation from the Championship is now a distant memory and they are worth a punt against the higher-placed Cardiff. Barrow's League Two status is safe after their unexpected 2-0 victory at Forest Green in midweek and another win on Saturday will condemn Southend, their opponents, to the drop. Stevenage's shock 1-0 success at second-placed Cambridge last weekend was the talk of the lower leagues and I believe they'll also see off Crawley.

Pools info (1): Burnley v West Ham (No.2 on coupon) and West Brom v Wolves (10) will be assessed by the pools panel. Southampton v Leicester (8) is void.

Pools info (2): Four of my five best draws were correct last weekend: Nottingham Forest 1 Stoke 1; Ipswich 0 Wimbledon 0; Wigan 1 Burton 1 and Crawley 0 Forest Green 0.

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

 Ten draws: West Ham v Chelsea, Blackburn v Huddersfield, Nottingham Forest v Stoke, Reading v Swansea, Ipswich v Wimbledon, Wigan v Burton, Crawley v Forest Green, Morecambe v Bolton, Salford v Mansfield, Dundee v Raith.

Best draws: West Ham v Chelsea, Nottingham Forest v Stoke, Ipswich v Wimbledon, Wigan v Burton, Crawley v Forest Green.

Weekend's best bets: Six aways: West Brom, Brighton, Luton, Leyton Orient, Queen of the South, Stockport.

Weekend's best bets: Ten homes: Leeds, Barnsley, Cardiff, Watford, Charlton, Gillingham, Oldham, Port Vale, Aldershot, Hartlepool.

Pick of the draws: Chelsea dropped precious Premier League points in a home goalless draw against Brighton in midweek and they won't find it easy to make up lost ground at West Ham, who are enjoying their best season in years and contesting a place in next season's Champions League. The goals have dried up for Nottingham Forest in their past three Championship games but they face a Stoke side who are also goal-shy and I'm expecting a dour stalemate. With 14 goals in their past four outings, Wimbledon are pulling clear of the League One drop zone and have no reason to fear Ipswich, who are stuck in mid-table and have gone five matches without scoring. Wins over Crewe (2-0, home) and Shrewsbury (2-1, away) see Wigan also moving away from danger but Burton, their visitors, should not be underestimated. Forest Green, sixth in League Two, may not get the victory they need at Crawley, who beat promotion favourites Cheltenham 1-0 at home last Friday.

Away days: If relegation-threatened West Brom show some of the form that defeated Chelsea 5-2 away and Southampton 3-0 at home in their past two Premier League fixtures they have a good chance of maximum points at Aston Villa. West Brom have already won at Wolves this season and are worth a punt here. Brighton are edging closer to safety and will be disappointed with anything less than victory at Sheffield United, whose relegation has been confirmed. Luton gained a morale-boosting Championship win over fierce rivals Watford last weekend and are fancied to come away from Bristol City with three points. Leyton Orient are still in League Two play-off contention and are warmly recommended at Southend, who look doomed. In the Scottish Championship, Queen of the South are worth backing at struggling Ayr and National League promotion contenders Stockport should prevail at Boreham Wood.

Homes sweet homes: At first glance Leeds v Manchester United seems to favour the high-flying visitors, who won the corresponding fixture 6-2 at Old Trafford, but Leeds triumphed 2-1 at Manchester City while down to 10 men and held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Monday. I'm taking them to cause an upset. Charlton, having demolished Plymouth 6-0 away in midweek, will be in the mood to play Peterborough, who are second in League One. That crushing victory enabled Charlton to climb into the play-off places and I'm tipping them to win again. Port Vale, steadily climbing League Two, should continue their rise with maximum points against Bradford City.