After a two-week break, the Premier League is back on the weekend calendar in England, which gives us a stacked set of fixtures to consider for the football pools.
As ever, we'll be targeting maximum points (based on the scoring system below) from our five football pools betting tips and there are plenty of exciting options available to us this week.
- Score draw: 3 points
- No-score draw (0-0): 2 points
- Home or away win: 1 point
Check out our pools tips below.
Our expert football pools betting tips
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
One of the most exciting games on paper this weekend is Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest at Villa Park. These two teams are both in good form and on a normal weekend, I'd perhaps lean more towards a home win over a draw but the looming Champions League quarter-finals does open this game up for Forest.
The hosts could rest some key players, which could prove to be a leveller, but it's not as if Villa Park hasn't been accustomed to draws this season. No team in the Premier League has drawn more home matches than Aston Villa so far this campaign.
Man Utd vs Man City (Premier League)
Speaking of levellers, the news that Erling Haaland could miss the rest of the season has no doubt increased Man Utd's chances of getting something from the Manchester derby on Sunday.
For all their faults this season, Man Utd have still retained a habit of picking up points (mostly via draws) in the biggest matches. They drew 2-2 with Arsenal in their last home league match, and they have also drawn with Liverpool and Chelsea this campaign.
Coventry City vs Burnley (Championship)
Frank Lampard will be looking for a response from his players this weekend after their heavy defeat to Sheffield United last weekend. The Sky Blues will be happy that they have an immediate opportunity to prove they belong in the top six by taking on another of the big boys, and the Crows should be well up for it.
Burnley have been heavy drawers throughout the campaign, even if they have improved in that regard slightly in recent times. The Clarets have drawn 15 matches in the league, at a rate of more than one every three matches. Their last draw? Three games ago, so we're due.
West Brom vs Sunderland (Championship)
If Burnley are draw regulars, then we're not quite sure what that makes West Brom who are now on 18 league draws in 39 matches played. They are close to averaging one draw every two games which is ridiculous at this level.
Draw number 19 is very much on the cards this week as Sunderland are now stuck in limbo between the automatic promotion spots and the playoffs. The Black Cats have drawn 12 league games so far this season and one of those was in the reverse fixture against West Bom earlier in the season.
Bristol City vs Watford (Championship)
Our final football pool tip is Bristol City vs Watford in the Championship. These two teams are separated by just one place and four points, which feels like a good indicator of how similar they are after 39 games played.
Not only are the two sides evenly matched, but they are also regular drawers. Both of them have drawn two of their last five league matches and two of their last five H2Hs have also finished level.
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.
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