Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 11-12

Ten draws: Everton v Brentford, Leicester v Chelsea, West Ham v Aston Villa, Preston v Cardiff, Queens Park Rangers v Watford, Reading v Millwall, Burton v Wycombe, Milton Keynes v Cambridge, Gillingham v Tranmere, Swindon v Carlisle.

Best draws: Everton v Brentford, Leicester v Chelsea, West Ham v Aston Villa, Preston v Cardiff, MK Dons v Cambridge.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Harrogate, Northampton.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Manchester United, Burnley, Coventry, Norwich, West Brom, Barnsley, Shrewsbury, Chesterfield, Notts County, Wrexham.

Pick of the draws: Everton's gritty 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest last Sunday suggested that relegation from the Premier League isn't a foregone conclusion but I'll be surprised if they get more than a point out of Brentford, who are impressing everybody. Two consecutive victories for Chelsea have lightened the mood at Stamford Bridge but Leicester missed enough chances to win two games at Southampton last Saturday and can deny Graham Potter's side. Relegation-threatened West Ham reverted to their bad old ways when crashing 4-0 at Brighton last weekend but shouldn't lose to Aston Villa, who are inconsistent. There's a brighter outlook for Cardiff as they pull clear of the Championship drop zone. They'll be expecting at least a point at goal-shy Preston, who regularly flop at home. MK Dons v Cambridge is a bottom-of-the-table clash in League One and I wouldn't back either to prevail.

Away days: Liverpool's 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Anfield last Sunday has put a spring in their step and they'll surely make short work of Bournemouth, who have sunk to the bottom of the Premier League. Manchester City, trying to keep pace with leaders Arsenal, are also a confident shout at Crystal Palace, who could be sucked into a battle to avoid relegation. Arsenal have recovered well from their recent wobble and I'm predicting a fifth league win in a row when they visit Fulham on Sunday. Middlesbrough have automatic promotion from the Championship in their sights and they'll tempt many punters at ailing Swansea. Harrogate's fine 2-0 midweek victory at Doncaster in League Two will put them in good heart for their trip to second bottom Crawley, who have lost their last six games. Northampton's hopes of automatic promotion will be boosted by three points at Hartlepool, who are third bottom.

Homes sweet homes: Coventry, unbeaten in their last six matches, are one of the surprising contenders for a Championship play-off place and are worth a wager against Hull. Norwich climbed into the play-off positions with a 3-2 success at Millwall last Saturday. They seem to be peaking at the right time and will probably see off Sunderland, who are going in the other direction after losing 5-1 at home to Stoke. Barnsley v Plymouth deserves top billing in League One. Barnsley, who are fourth, are in better form than second-placed Plymouth and that's why I'm going for a home win. 

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of March 4-5

Ten draws: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace, Huddersfield v Coventry, Millwall v Norwich, Rotherham v Queens Park Rangers, Bristol Rovers v Barnsley, Cheltenham v Fleetwood, Lincoln v Oxford, Harrogate v Gillingham, Walsall v Barrow, Ayr v Inverness.

Best draws: Aston Villa v Crystal Palace, Bristol Rovers v Barnsley, Lincoln v Oxford, Harrogate v Gillingham, Ayr v Inverness.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Tottenham, Burnley, Portsmouth, Mansfield, Stevenage, Edinburgh.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Arsenal, Southampton, Luton, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Ipswich, Plymouth, Northampton, Ross, Solihull.

Pick of the draws: Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are two Premier League mid-table sides whose main characteristic is inconsistency, so I wouldn't put money on either of them winning. No team is in better form than League One promotion contenders Barnsley, who are winning their matches handsomely. However, Bristol Rovers, who had a fine 3-0 victory at Oxford last Saturday, can check their progress. Lincoln have drawn 12 of their 15 League One home games this season. It won't surprise me if they make it 13 against Oxford. Lowly Gillingham's revival in League Two was halted in midweek by Bradford City, who won 2-0 at Priestfield Stadium. I believe Gillingham will recover sufficiently to share the spoils at Harrogate, who are immediately below them. Inverness Caledonian Thistle held promotion-seeking Dundee to a 1-1 away draw in the Scottish Championship last weekend. On Saturday they go to Ayr, who are also in promotion contention. I think the visitors could again come away with something.

Away days: Tottenham's firepower, with Harry Kane prominent, will probably be the decisive factor when they visit Wolves, who, by contrast, have scored only nine Premier League home goals this season. Burnley, the runaway Championship leaders, look an away banker at second-from-bottom Blackpool. Consecutive home wins against Cheltenham (4-0) and Bolton (3-1) in League One have lifted Portsmouth and I recommend them at struggling Cambridge. Mansfield's 5-2 home loss to Salford in League Two was one of the upsets of last weekend but I'm tipping them to bounce straight back at Wimbledon, whose hopes of reaching the play-offs are fast fading. High-flying Stevenage returned to winning ways at Wimbledon in midweek and will surely prevail at Rochdale, who seem doomed to relegation. I suspect Edinburgh, third in Scottish League One, will be too good for Kelty Hearts.

Homes sweet homes: I'm taking Southampton, bottom of the Premier League, to win at home for only the second time this season against Leicester, who may be still reeling from their home FA Cup exit against Blackburn, of the Championship, in midweek. Wigan, bottom of the Championship, will never have a better chance of three points when ailing Birmingham travel to play them on Saturday. Ross County won their bottom-of-the table clash against Dundee United last Saturday with plenty to spare and they are worth a wager against Motherwell, who are just above them in the Scottish Premiership. 

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of February 25-26

 Ten draws: Leeds v Southampton, Tottenham v Chelsea, Preston v Wigan, Queens Park Rangers v Blackburn, Stoke v Millwall, West Brom v Middlesbrough, Forest Green v Lincoln, Barrow v Stockport, Doncaster v Bradford City, St Johnstone v St Mirren.

Best draws: Tottenham v Chelsea, Preston v Wigan, Queens Park Rangers v Blackburn, Barrow v Stockport, Doncaster v Bradford City.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Manchester City, Arsenal, Luton, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Partick.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Everton, West Ham, Burnley, Norwich, Bolton, Fleetwood, Portsmouth, Crewe, Gillingham, Dundee.

Pick of the draws: Although little is going right for Graham Potter's Chelsea, they aren't conceding many goals and if their attack clicks they could get something from their Sunday visit to Tottenham, who have yet to draw at home this season. Wigan are showing signs of escaping from the Championship drop zone and can take a point at mid-table Preston, who struggle at Deepdale. Queens Park Rangers, dropping like a stone, are badly in need of a lift and the appointment of Gareth Ainsworth as manager will probably spur them to greater heights against play-off contenders Blackburn. Barrow arrested their League Two slide with a 1-0 victory at Bradford City and may frustrate Stockport, the division's most in-form team. Bradford City, with seven wins on the road, are stronger away than at home and likely to share the spoils at Doncaster, who are two places behind them.

Away days: Manchester City were deposed as Premier League leaders by Arsenal when they were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest last weekend. However, they had enough chances to win three matches and will surely be more ruthless at lowly Bournemouth. Arsenal's 4-2 victory at Aston Villa gave them a huge boost after an indifferent spell and they will be confident of beating Leicester. Luton's impressive away form in the Championship could be decisive when they visit Birmingham. I believe Sheffield Wednesday, the new League One leaders, will prevail at mid-table Charlton and Ipswich, up to third place, shouldn't have too many problems at MK Dons. Partick, who won at third-placed Ayr in the Scottish Championship last Saturday, will fancy their chances at bottom side Arbroath.

Homes sweet homes: Everton's spirited battle against relegation from the Premier League will be strengthened by a win over Aston Villa, who have conceded 11 goals while losing three consecutive games. West Ham dropped into the bottom three after last weekend's results but I'm tipping them against Nottingham Forest, who, despite their heroics against Manchester City, have been depleted by injuries. There is no more improved side than Gillingham, who are pulling away from the League Two relegation zone. They have won five of their past seven matches and I reckon they will add Wimbledon to their recent list of scalps.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of February 18-19

Ten draws: Brighton v Fulham, Everton v Leeds, Blackpool v Stoke, Rotherham v Coventry, Cambridge v Oxford, Morecambe v Peterborough, Wycombe v Bolton, Harrogate v Crewe, Sutton v Doncaster, Cove v Arbroath.

Best draws: Brighton v Fulham, Everton v Leeds, Cambridge v Oxford, Wycombe v Bolton, Sutton v Doncaster.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Arsenal, Manchester City, Shrewsbury, Barnsley, Gillingham, Mansfield.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Chelsea, Manchester United, Huddersfield, Hull, Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Bradford City, Leyton Orient, Stockport, Inverness.

Pick of the draws: Brighton continue to impress but the emphatic manner of Fulham's win over Nottingham Forest last weekend also caught the eye and they can come away with a point. After their deserved victory over Arsenal, Everton reverted to type when losing 2-0 at Liverpool last Monday and they host Leeds, who are in just as much trouble near the foot of the Premier League. Cambridge are in grave danger of relegation from League One but Oxford, their visitors, don't have much to shout about either. Both lost in midweek, so a draw looks the most likely result. In contrast, Wycombe and Bolton are playing really well at the right end of the table and it's hard to pick a winner. Although Sutton, 2-1 home winners over Swindon in midweek, are steadily climbing League Two, there is no guarantee they will beat Doncaster, who are moving closer to the play-off positions.

Away days: The priority for Arsenal now is to arrest their worrying slump. They won't find easy at Aston Villa in Saturday's early kick-off but I think they'll return home with maximum points. I also expect Manchester City, the new Premier League leaders, to overcome an injury-weakened Nottingham Forest. Shrewsbury, performing well above expectations in League One, will rate their chances at Accrington, who languish in the drop zone. Barnsley, who won last Saturday and again in midweek, are sixth and will be just as confident going to Cheltenham. Lowly Gillingham's revival in League Two continued with a midweek home victory over Grimsby and I'm tipping them to win again at Rochdale, who are in danger of being cast adrift at the bottom. Mansfield's resounding 4-0 midweek triumph at the home of fellow promotion contenders Carlisle will send their spirits soaring and I reckon Tranmere, their hosts, will suffer as a result.

Homes sweet homes: Neil Warnock has returned to management with Huddersfield at the age of 74. Despite Huddersfield being second bottom of the Championship, I believe he'll make a winning return at the expense of wildly inconsistent Birmingham. Hull's steady progress up the table was halted when they lost 3-1 at Norwich in midweek but they are worth a punt against Preston, who seem to have lost their way. League Two play-off contenders Stockport are retaining the winning habit and I have a feeling they will topple second-placed Stevenage, who have experienced a slight wobble.

Pools tips and best bets for weekend of February 11-12

Ten draws: Bournemouth v Newcastle, Crystal Palace v Brighton, Leicester v Tottenham, Bristol City v Norwich, Queens Park Rangers v Millwall, Burton v Exeter, Peterborough v Bolton, Crawley v Crewe, Stevenage v Bradford City, Walsall v Leyton Orient.

Best draws: Bournemouth v Newcastle, Crystal Palace v Brighton, Bristol City v Norwich, Queens Park Rangers v Millwall, Stevenage v Bradford City.

Weekend's best football bets: Six aways: Manchester United, Wolves, Middlesbrough, Stockport, Northampton, Queen's Park.

Weekend's best football bets: Ten homes: Manchester City, Burnley, Sheffield United, Watford, Barnsley, Ipswich, Mansfield, Raith, Livingston, Woking.

Pick of the draws: Although Bournemouth, second from bottom, are favourites to be relegated from the Premier League, they made Brighton work hard for their 1-0 win last Saturday and I won't be surprised if they deny fourth-placed Newcastle. Brighton could be playing European football next season. Crystal Palace, their bitter, if not nearest, rivals, won't relish that prospect and they'll be determined to halt the Seagulls' progress. Bristol City, through recent good results, have virtually banished fears of relegation from the Championship and should give Norwich, who crashed 3-0 at home to Burnley last weekend, a stiff test. I think mid-table Queens Park Rangers, though out of sorts, will prevent Millwall from climbing into the Championship play-off positions. Bradford City, seeking promotion from League Two, are better away than at home and could come away with a point at second-placed Stevenage, whose home form is formidable.

Away days: Despite the surprising 2-2 result at Old Trafford in midweek, I expect Manchester United to this time beat Leeds, who are without a manager and floundering in the Premier League. Wolves received a considerable lift from their 3-0 triumph over Liverpool at Molineux last Saturday and will feel confident of coping at Southampton, who are bottom. There's just no stopping Middlesbrough's surge up the Championship and they look an away banker against Cardiff, who are at the other end of the table. After a dodgy start to the season, Stockport have moved into the League Two play-off positions and are expected to account for lowly Harrogate. Northampton, in fourth place, will surely prevail at bottom club Rochdale while Queen's Park, top of the Scottish Championship, have my backing at Morton.

Homes sweet homes: Watford, despite flying high in the Championship, are dropping points when you least expect it but Blackburn, their opponents on Saturday, are wobbling even more and seem there for the taking. Ipswich, third in League One, host leaders Sheffield Wednesday and I believe they will close the gap on their Yorkshire rivals. It was only a last-minute goal by runaway Championship leaders Burnley in midweek that knocked Ipswich out of the FA Cup. If there's a surprise in the Scottish Cup fifth round I've a hunch it will happen at Raith, midway in the Championship, who play struggling Motherwell, of the Premiership.