Another big weekend of football is upon us with the return of the FA Cup as it enters its fourth round.
Cup action means there are no Premier League matches taking place this weekend, but there are a handful of games taking place in the Championship and League One and Two.
We're deciding to ignore all league action this week, though, and have opted to pick five FA Cup clashes as part of our ongoing football pools betting tips. The reason why is that with replays now a thing of the past, draws *should* happen more frequently with underdogs happy to take their chances with a penalty shootout.
As ever with football pools, the key is finding those games that are going to finish in score draws as they are worth three points on the football pools scoring system as outlined below.
- Score draw: 3 points
- No-score draw (0-0): 2 points
- Home or away win: 1 point
Ahead of this weekend's action, here are our expert football pools betting tips.
Our expert football pools betting tips
Leeds vs Millwall (FA Cup)
Leeds come into this match with a spring in their steps after winning their last two league matches by an aggregate score of 9-0 but with promotion now well within their reach, Daniel Farke is likely to be cautious this weekend and rest several key players against Millwall.
The league is understandably their priority and this opens the door for Millwall, who currently have very little to play for in the Championship. The Lions are languishing in mid-table, so they have no reason to rest anyone at Elland Road, which certainly evens up the playing field.
This one has extra time and penalties written all over it.
Everton vs Bournemouth (Premier League)
One of the all-Premier League clashes to take place this weekend in the FA Cup is Everton vs Bournemouth at Goodison Park. Both teams come into the match in good form, with Bournemouth still challenging for European football and Everton still riding the wave of David Moyes' triumphant return.
Between them, Everton and Bournemouth have drawn a combined 15 matches in the Premier League this season, and nobody in the division has drawn more games on the road this season than the Cherries. Could Goodison Park see its final-ever penalty shootout on Saturday?
Southampton vs Burnley (FA Cup)
While Southampton vs Burnley is perhaps unlikely to produce a score draw, there is every chance that we see this match finish 0-0 after 90 minutes. No team in England has produced more goalless draws than Burnley this season, with Scott Parker putting a huge emphasis on his team's defensive prowess.
On Saturday, they come up against the team that have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League this season (18 goals in 24 matches) in Southampton. The Saints have lost firepower in recent weeks, too, with the departure of Adam Armstrong so St Mary's should prepare itself for a dull affair on Saturday.
Brighton vs Chelsea (FA Cup)
No team left in the cup is more in need of a performance this weekend than Brighton after the Seagulls were hammered 7-0 by Nottingham Forest last weekend, so this will be far from easy for Chelsea on Saturday evening.
The hosts have been the draw specialists in the Premier League this season, with ten to their name so far while Chelsea have drawn three of their last eight matches. Both teams have scored in each of their last three meetings so a score draw is certainly on the cards on Saturday.
Stoke City vs Cardiff City (FA Cup)
Our final football pools betting tip this week is Stoke City vs Cardiff City. This isn't the most inspiring cup tie on paper as it puts together 18th and 19th in the Championship, but what that does mean is an opportunity on the pools.
The two sides are evenly matched on paper and have been frequent drawers in recent weeks. Stoke have drawn three of their last five league matches while Cardiff have drawn two of their last five. What's more, four of the last five matches between the two sides have also finished level.
If you need a banker this week on the pools, then this is it.
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.
