The home straight is in sight, but we're still not much closer to finding a solution to the Premiership relegation conundrum this season. In recent weeks, only Tottenham have managed to extract themselves from the dogfight, leaving nearly half the division still in serious danger of the drop, and there are some intriguing fixtures this weekend that will probably end up muddying the waters even further.
We start at Ewood Park on Saturday lunchtime:
1) Blackburn v Tottenham: A timely run of six unbeaten League games has drawn Spurs steadily up the table, and surely to safety, and on Saturday they face a trip to what has been quite a profitable stadium for them in recent years, with just one defeat in their last six visits. It seems that every time I watch Blackburn, they are creating plenty of chances, but missing nearly all of them, and that failing was again evident in their 1-1 draw at home to West Ham last time out. That result ensured that they remain the side with the equal lowest number of home wins this season, and Middlesbrough are still the only team to have scored fewer times at home. With the likely continued absence of Roque Santa Cruz, it is difficult to see that run ending on Saturday, and I certainly wouldn't put you off backing a third consecutive 1-1 draw in this fixture.
2) Arsenal v Man.City: Many pundits have put forward theories as to why City are so poor on the road this season, many of which have been entirely plausible, but what would really concern me if I was a City fan is that little seems to have been achieved by the management in addressing the ease with which their side can be broken down on another team's ground. A revitalised Emirates Stadium is hardly the place to turn those sort of statistics around either, and the fact that City have lost all but one of their last nine trips to Arsenal offers no more encouragement. Home win.
3) Bolton v Middlesbrough: Could there be a more nervy encounter than this one? Well, yes actually, as we'll see later on, but you can bet that this match will be very short on quality as both sides struggle to gain a vital three points. Anybody looking to previous encounters to give any signs of a decent game of football will also be sorely disappointed as the last four renewals of this fixture have been drawn, with three of those matches ending goalless! Another draw here would definitely suit Bolton more than Boro, and I think that's what they will settle for.
4) Hull v Portsmouth: Home advantage isn't a phrase that really applies to Hull. Three wins all season at the KC, with the last of those coming in early December, is a pretty poor return, so a match against one of the few sides at the bottom capable of scoring goals regularly will be a bit of a worry for Phil Brown's nervous players. Only Chelsea have kept Pompey off the scoresheet in their last seven games, and a creditable win over Everton in their last match will have boosted confidence even further. I can certainly see Portsmouth scoring here, but the only question for me is whether they will be able to kill Hull off as they failed to do at Middlesbrough a few weeks ago, resulting in two precious points dropped right on the final whistle. If they haven't learned their lesson, we may witness yet another unsatisfactory draw here.
5) Newcastle v Chelsea: Dave Whelan's outspoken attack on Mike Ashley last week may have been a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but there have certainly been some poor decisions taken at Newcastle since the kerfuffle over Kevin Keegan's (remember him?) departure. Joe Kinnear was never the most inspiring of appointments, and following his health problems, the decision not to replace him with anybody more capable than a former Spurs backroom boy and a failed Nottingham Forest manager was ill-advised to say the least. I'm sure Newcastle fans are looking at this match with a sense of dread, particularly as they have failed to even score the last three times Chelsea have visited in League and Cup. The Blues' title hopes may be hanging by a thread, but they won't have given up just yet, and a 1-0 or 2-0 victory here will keep them confident at least.
6) West Brom v Stoke: The two new boys who may well be the two old boys by the end of May meet on Saturday in a match which could possibly put survival beyond the hosts' reach. Stoke remain the only side not to have won an away match in the Premiership this season, but West Brom have no option but to go all out for a win here, which may well play into Stoke's hands as they look to steal the points on the break. Stoke gained a win and a draw from the last two renewals of this fixture, and given that West Brom's powder puff attack have scored just two goals in their last five matches (and one of those was an own goal), I think Stoke can add another valuable point at least to their fragile total here.
7) West Ham v Sunderland: The correct decision to rescind George McCartney's red card awarded at Man.City last time out means he is free to face his old club on Saturday and help Sunderland try and arrest a poor run of results in this fixture, in which West Ham have won five of the last six renewals. West Ham have been far from their most convincing over the last few weeks, but have still gained two wins and two draws from their last four matches. They will be anxiously awaiting Carlton Cole's return from England duty, as if the injury he sustained against Slovakia rules him out on Saturday, his replacements have so far failed to inspire any confidence that they are able to capably take his place. Sunderland find themselves perilously placed just three points from the drop zone, and will be concerned that their previously impressive strike force appears to be struggling from fatigue (Jones) or wanderlust (Cisse). Neither of those players has scored in their team's last five matches, which doesn't bode well for the rest of the season, and a point may be the best they can hope for here.
8) Fulham v Liverpool: This undoubtedly has the potential to be the match of the weekend as Fulham aim to repeat their surprise victory over Man.U. while Liverpool's rejuvenated players attempt to gain the 100% finish to the season that will harry United all the way to the title. Prior to last season's 2-0 defeat in this fixture, Fulham had won the previous two renewals, although Liverpool's weakened team selections left a lot to be desired on those occasions. You can bet Benitez will be putting as strong a side as possible out for this one, though, and I think that may well prove the difference, as Fulham certainly rode their luck at times against United, and were also helped no end by the early sending off of Paul Scholes. Fourteen goals have been scored in Liverpool's last three matches, and I fully expect the goalscoring to start early and keep coming in a high scoring away win.
9) Everton v Wigan: This is one of the few games left this season where the title and/or relegation issues are irrelevant, and it is also a very tough fixture to work out. Wigan have remained solid throughout the season and look to have unearthed another promising player from the Championship with the signing of Ben Watson from Crystal Palace. Quietly and unspectacularly, Wigan have maintained a high position in the table by being tough to beat rather than by scoring extravagant numbers of goals, and Everton have this season followed a similar pattern, although perhaps with a little added flair from Messrs. Cahill and the now injured Arteta. The three previous Premiership meetings at Goodison have produced a home win, a draw and an away win, so the only prediction I'm prepared to make is that there won't be many goals.
10) Man.U.v Aston Villa: The question I posed last time about how United would react to defeat against Liverpool didn't take long to be answered, and the response at Fulham was an ill-tempered, ill-disciplined display in which several players emerged with their images tarnished even further. They may have been knocked off the top by the time this match comes around, so they couldn't really ask for opponents in more disarray than Villa as they try to return to the summit. Villa have now failed to win any of their last eight League and Cup matches, and have also lost their last six at Old Trafford in all competitions, so it may be asking a bit much to expect them to arrest their slide here. I expect a home win, but this may be a bit more competitive than Villa's capitulation at Anfield.
If you've got £10 left after investing in Irish Invader for the Grand National, how about combining Arsenal, Liverpool, Celtic, Raith and Cowdenbeath in an accumulator that would return £48.48 with bet365 if all won their matches.
Good luck!