An exciting weekend of football lies ahead with FA Cup fifth-round action being mixed in with some huge league fixtures across all three divisions in the EFL.
With plenty at stake in the majority of matches being played, the possibility of draws occurring has only gone up which is fantastic news for anyone who takes part in football pools competitions each week.
Below, we provide five expert football pools for the weekend in a bid to get the most points possible from the standard pools scoring system as detailed below –
- Score draw: 3 points
- No-score draw (0-0): 2 points
- Home or away win: 1 point
Our expert football pools betting tips
Preston vs Burnley (FA Cup)
One of the standout games from this weekend's round of FA Cup matches is Preston vs Burnley in a Lancashire derby. The two sides met just a couple of weeks ago in a heated affair and there is plenty of bad blood between the two clubs so neither side will simply roll over for the other here.
On that occasion, the match finished 0-0 and a repeat here wouldn't be a shock to anyone not least because four of Burnley's last nine matches have finished by this scoreline. Preston aren't averse to a draw, either, with Lilwhites drawing two of their last three matches in all competitions.
Man Utd vs Fulham (FA Cup)
On Sunday afternoon, it's Man Utd vs Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round in a huge match for both clubs. Man Utd, the defending champions, will feel this tournament can once again ‘save' their season while Fulham will turn up at Old Trafford full of hope given how poor the Red Devils have been all season.
In the two previous matches between these two teams this season, the match has been decided by just one goal but both matches should have finished level based on the xG. With extra time a possibility, Man Utd might not be as pressed to find a late winner as they did in both of those games.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Sunderland (Championship)
Neither Sheffield Wednesday nor Sunderland come into this match in good form with Sheffield Wednesday recording just one win in their last five and Sunderland recording just one win in their last four.
The habit of winning is one that isn't always easy to regain when you've lost it and given that these two teams have combined for 20 draws in the Championship so far this season, it wouldn't be a shock to see them play out another one on Friday night.
Luton Town vs Portsmouth (Championship)
Luton Town are in desperate need of a win this weekend as they edge closer to back-to-back relegations but they are now 12 matches with one in the Championship. Portsmouth, meanwhile, have moved away from the relegation zone but have still only won two matches on the road all season.
Matches between these two sides have been few and far between in recent years but in the reverse fixture at the beginning of the current campaign, they played out a 0-0 draw which illustrates how evenly matched they are.
Wigan vs Reading (League One)
Our final pools betting tip of the week comes from League One and it's the one we are perhaps most confident on. Wigan have drawn a total of nine league matches so far this season and while that isn't a huge amount, three of those have come in their last five matches.
Reading, meanwhile, are trending in the same way with the Royals also drawing three of their last five matches.
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters. He's also a keen football fan and is an expert on European football.
