The FA Cup semi-finals involving Man.U, Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal take place this weekend, resulting in a truncated Premiership fixture list of just seven matches, but we're still left with some intriguing matches as the increasingly desperate struggle for survival continues. It still looks most likely that West Brom will be cementing their tag as a so-called yoyo club with relegation straight back to the Championship, but for the ultimate "yoyo" club, look no further than Scottish Second Division strugglers Stranraer, whose relegation back to the Third Division was confirmed a few weeks ago. Believe it or not, this is now the seventh consecutive season in which they have either been relegated or promoted. Their admirable 274 fans certainly get a thrilling ride for their money.
 
The coming weekend's fixtures start with one of the few matches in which only pride is at stake:
 
1) Aston Villa v West Ham: Only Blackburn, Newcastle and Hull have won fewer home games than Villa this season, which is quite incredible given their position in the table. They have also now failed to win any of their last ten games in all competitions, so they will be grateful for a chance to put that right against a side with injury problems and little left to play for. Will they put it right? Probably not. 1-1.
 
2) Middlesbrough v Fulham: You have to say that had Boro not beaten Hull last Saturday, that would probably have been the end of their battle for survival, but the fact that they snatched victory at the death when Hull were threatening an equaliser will have done their confidence a world of good, and they will now be looking at this fixture with realistic thoughts of climbing out of the bottom three. They also have a pretty solid record when Fulham have visited over recent years, with three consecutive wins, and an unbeaten run dating back 25 years. Fulham took advantage of in-house turmoil at Man.City last Sunday with an impressive 3-1 win, and Roy Hodgson certainly seems to have his players giving their all right to the end of the season. We're therefore left with a very tough match to call, so I won't call it.
 
3) Portsmouth v Bolton: Despite boasting a four match unbeaten run, Pompey may live to regret the defensive errors that allowed West Brom to take a point from their visit to Fratton Park last Saturday. Bolton so nearly matched that achievement in the most unlikely fashion at Stamford Bridge, and I hope that Bolton's previously critical fans can now appreciate just how good a job Gary Megson has done with his side this season. They may be seven points clear of trouble, but are certainly not safe yet and Portsmouth are just the sort of opponents that they have thrived on visiting this season, so if Pompey's defenders are still out of sorts for this one, they may be heading for a surprise defeat.
 
4) Stoke v Blackburn: Stoke had the opportunities to bury Newcastle before Andy Carroll's late equaliser on Saturday, but they remain six points clear of the drop zone and face injury hit opponents here. It will certainly be wise to check the starting line-ups though before trying to predict this one as I'm sure Sam Allardyce is targeting certain matches specifically to gain the points necessary for survival. Looking at their last four away matches, 4-0 defeats have resulted at Arsenal and Liverpool, while full strength Rovers sides have won 2-1 at both Hull and Fulham. Assuming the boss is able to field a strong line-up here, you can fully expect a fierce battle that may well end up all square.
 
5) Sunderland v Hull: What a pivotal match this could be, as Sunderland have the potential to either overtake Hull, or crash into the bottom three at just the wrong time of the season. Neither side comes into the match with vivid memories of winning games as Sunderland are without a win in their last seven League matches, while Hull have just one win in their last sixteen attempts. As in the previous game, you can fully expect a highly charged atmosphere and an ugly but exciting match to watch, and I just slightly favour the home side to give themselves a bit of breathing space by recording a narrow victory.
 
6) Tottenham v Newcastle: I'm sure Alan Shearer is under no illusions as to how fortunate his side were on Saturday not to have conceded a second and fatal goal at Stoke before finding a late equaliser, and White Hart Lane would not be his ideal choice of venue for his next attempt to gain his first win as caretaker manager. One thing he does have in his favour, though, is recent history, as on both of their last two visits to Tottenham, Newcastle have come from behind to win five goal thrillers. I would also urge Spurs to be cautious of the fit-again Michael Owen, as he doesn't usually take too long to find the net again after one of his numerous injury lay-offs, and he will be keen to notch his first goal in over three months. Maybe not the easy home win that many might predict, so be wary of this one.
 
7) Man.City v West Brom: West Brom have put paid to many accumulators up and down the country recently by taking unexpected points from their last two away matches, but on current form, I don't think a point here would be unexpected at all. City finally allowed their poor away performances to filter through to their home form on Sunday, and a shoddy 3-1 defeat at home to notoriously bad travellers Fulham will have put extreme pressure on Mark Hughes prior to what many expect to be a big spending spree in the summer. There does appear to be internal strife at City at present, and if they go out of the UEFA Cup on Thursday as expected, failure to win here may be the last straw for City's backers. West Brom have avoided defeat on their last four visits to Man.City, and may well extend that run to five.
 
The closer we get to the season's end, the tougher the fixtures get to call, so all I can find is a speculative three selections for you this week, however, a successful £10 treble on Brentford, Wycombe and Peterhead would return a welcome £35 exactly to a £10 stake with Paddy Power.