It's a landmark weekend on the English football calendar as the FA Cup third round takes place with 32 matches taking place across five days.
With so many matches taking place, the betting options are almost endless but the football pools is one that should be near the top of your priority list.
As always, the key to success on the football pools is to sniff out score draws and these results are likely to be more frequent than usual this weekend given that draws now mean extra time and a resolution on the day as opposed to a replay.
A score draw is worth three points on the scoring system as detailed below:
- Score draw: 3 points
- No-score draw (0-0): 2 points
- Home or away win: 1 point
Ahead of this weekend's bumper fixture list, here are our expert football pools betting tips.
Our expert football pools betting tips
Aston Villa vs West Ham (FA Cup)
One of the Friday night FA Cup matches is Aston Villa vs West Ham and this all Premier League clash is a prime candidate for a score draw, especially with Grahm Potter taking charge of his first game as the new West Ham manager.
The infamous new manager bounce is likely to rear its head at Villa Park, particularly as there are no points at stake so there is no reason for the Hammers not to go for it. Two of the last four meetings between these two teams have been score draws, too, so the signs are all there.
Bristol City vs Wolves (FA Cup)
Whenever a high-flying Championship club faces a struggling Premier League outfit in the cup, then an upset is very much on the cards. This is the case at Ashton Gate where Bristol City will take on Wolves and it's difficult to imagine the Premier League side winning in 90 minutes.
Bristol City have won their last three home matches while Wolves have won just one of their last four away matches. These stats are important but so is the gulf in quality between the two squads which is why we believe the two could counter-act each other to result in a draw on Saturday.
Leicester vs QPR (FA Cup)
Leicester vs QPR is another example this weekend of a lower-end PL side facing off against a Championship team with the tail between their legs. QPR have lost just one of their last eleven fixtures and are arguably the form side in the Championship so this is a really tricky fixture for the Foxes.
Leicester have lost five matches in a row coming into this one but it's important to remember much of this squad did run away with the Championship last season. Both team won a match each in the two H2H fixtures last season so a tight contest and a potential score draw should be anticipated.
Arsenal vs Man Utd (FA Cup)
Manchester United defied all odds by picking up a score draw at Anfield last weekend in the Premier League and in truth, they deserved all three points. A couple of days on the training pitch had clearly done wonders for Ruben Amorim's men and they will now be looking forward to this one.
The fact that Arsenal are struggling for form at the moment only makes this more of an intriguing fixture. The Gunners have failed to win either of their two most recent matches so expect plenty of nervous energy inside the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Could the visitors earn themselves a draw inside 90 minutes for the second week running at a tough away ground?
Southampton vs Swansea (FA Cup)
The final football pools betting tip is Southampton vs Swansea at St Mary's Stadium. The Saints are having a miserable time in the Premier League and come into this one off the back of a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Brentford.
Expect a bounceback and a much better display this time around against a Swanea team that drew last time out against West Brom.
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.
In December 2020 we sadly 
