Hull have may have only won once in their last eight Premier Leauge games, however, their performances have been gradually improving. If they want to remain in the Premiership next season then they have to start picking up points in these vital games. The same thing can be said about Middlesbrough who are desperate for a win and three points. They are already five points adrift of safety and with games rapidly running out it seems more and more likely that they will be in the Championship next season.

Middlesbrough’s last six Premiership home games:
1-1 Portsmouth [D]
2-0 Liverpool [W]
0-0 Wigan [D]
0-0 Blackburn [D]
1-1 Sunderland [D]
0-1 Everton [L]

Hull’s last six Premiership away games:
1-0 Wigan
0-1 Fulham
0-0 Chelsea
2-0 West Ham
2-0 Everton
5-1 Man City

Middlesbrough have an uphill struggle to survive the drop, but it can be done as Fulham proved last season. Everyone had written them off and now look where they are this season. Boro may just need that one win to show the side that they are capable of Premiership survival. They definately showed their potential in their home win against Liverpool a few weeks back, but since then they have lost all concentration and been prone to defensive errors. Hull on the other hand have been a little bit unlucky in some of the recent games. They did however, hold out for a decent draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and also picked up a later winner against Fulham.

Middlesbrough will be without captain Emanuel Pogatetz who is injured for around three weeks and midfielder Gary O’Neil is on a two match ban. Hull could be without striker Daniel Cousin, but may welcome back George Boateng who has been out for three months. The reverse fixture of this game ended win a 2-1 win to Hull where all three goals came in the last 15 minutes.

I think that this could be a big three points for either team should they win. The pressure might be on a little too much and both sides may be looking for a draw. I think it is a game that Middlesbrough cannot afford to lose and that affects my prediction.

Prediction 1-1

Up to £50 free bet with BetFred

Saturday 21st March 2009
Portsmouth 2-1 Everton [12:45]
Goals: Baines 4, Crouch 22 & 75
Everton took the early lead through Leighton Baines as his side looked to pile the pressure on Portsmouth. David Moyes was left fuming when Portsmouth were given a corner which should have been an Everton goalkick. It only seemed fair then for the home side to equalise from that corner through Peter Crouch. Portsmouth showed that they were the more desperate of the two sides as they took the lead in the second half. Again from a corner, Peter Crouch rose high and nodded into the net for his second goal of the day and his 11th of the season. Three points for Portsmouth are a boost to their relegation battle, especially with the number of games running out. David Moyes may well be feeling hard done by but I am sure he is more disappointed at conceding two goals from corners after taking the lead early on.

Blackburn 1-1 West Ham [15:00]
Goals: Noble 35, Andrews 51
A well earned draw for Blackburn which keeps them above the relegation zone by two points. West Ham perhaps played the better football and their first half goal was well setup. Even with a hint of offside against Boa Morte, Mark Noble put the ball into the back of the net with the outside of his foot to score his fifth goal of the season. El Hadji Diouf had the ball in the back of the net in the first and second half but both times he was ruled to be standing in an offside position. Half time subsitute Keith Andrews equalised for Blackburn just six minutes into the second half and in the end, I think that a draw was a fair result for both sides.

Fulham 2-0 Man United [15:00]
Goals: Murphy 18 (penalty), Gera 87
Things went from bad to worse in this game for the champions. Manchester United lost two games on the trot for the first time in 147 games. The game started well for Fulham as they put United under pressure. Bobby Zamora headed on goal in the 18th minute and Paul Scholes had no choice but to handle the ball on the line. The referee pointed to the spot and Scholes was shown a red card. Danny Murphy powered the penalty into the net, sending Van der Sar the wrong way. Van der Sar and Schwarzer made some smart saves during the game to keep both of their teams in the game. United had most of the ball in the second half and looked to snatch at least a point from the game, but when Andy Johnson broke for Fulham and found Zoltan Gera in the box, Gera did extremelly well on the finish and put the game beyond United in the last few minutes. United’s afternoon instantly became worse as Wayne Rooney was shown a second yellow card after hurling the ball across the pitch in the direction of the referee.

Stoke 1-0 Middlesbrough [15:00]
Goals: Shawcross 84
For two sides that started the afternoon in the relegation zone, this game was as big as they will come this season. With both teams desperate to remain in the Premiership, games like this one can be very costly come the end of the season. The game was not very pretty but both sides managed to create their fair share of chances. Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen made some great saves to deny Middlesbrough the lead. The final ten minutes approached and both teams were going for the winner. However, on 84 minutes, a Rory Delap long throw found the head of Ryan Shawcross, who made a good run, and put Stoke 1-0 up. Middlesbrough tried to respond, but Stoke defended in numbers and earned themselves the full three points and moved out of the relegation zone.

Tottenham 1-0 Chelsea [15:30]
Goals: Modric 50
After a suspicious package was found in London the kick off for this game had to be moved forward by 30 minutes. And after a goalless first half, it is quite possible that Chelsea knew that United were losing when they were in the dressing room at half time. However, it was Tottenham that took the lead early on in the second half. Aaron Lennon made a great run down the right and managed to cross the ball in passed Ashley Cole, the ball found Luka Modric who slotted the ball straight into the bottom right corner. The final 30 minutes of the game were almost completely dominated by Chelsea, the final 10 minutes saw them throwing everyone into the box in a bid to earn a point. It simply was not to be. Overall, another good performance from Tottenham, who are almost certain to avoid relegation now.

West Brom 1-1 Bolton [15:00]
Goals: Taylor 67, Shittu 81 (OG)
This game may have been a draw but both teams put in a good performace. On another day the result may have been different for either side. West Brom defended well in the first half and also managed to create a few chances. Bolton were much the same, but in the second half they took the lead thanks to a decent finish from Matt Taylor. West Brom were more attacking after that goal and were desperate to earn at least a draw to keep their Premiership status alive. Their goal came in the 81st minute when Robert Koren’s shot deflected off Danny Shittu’s left and into the left corner of the goal. Bolton may feel that this was a game that they should have won, but West Brom played their part and a well earned draw keeps alive their survival chances, however small.

Newcastle 1-3 Arsenal [17:30]
Goals: Bendtner 57, Martins 58, Diaby 64, Nasri 67
Newcastle put in a much better performance in this game than in their last game away at Hull. Although they lost and the score does not flatter Arsenal, Newcastle had their chances to change the scoreline. A first half penalty for Newcastle after Almunia brough down Ryan Taylor was taken by Obafemi Martins. The penalty was weak and Almunia guessed the right way. All even at half time, but Arsenal looked the more danagerous team early in the second half. Andrei Arshavin’s well taken freekick found the head of Nicklas Bendtner on 57 minutes to give Arsenal the lead. Some poor defending at the other end though, instantly saw Newcastle equalize through Martins. However, Newcastle soon ran into trouble with defensive injuries to Steven Taylor and Sebastien Bassong who had already been replaced in the first half. Arsenal quickly took advantage of the situation with Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri scoring twice in three minutes to put the game beyond Newcastle.