Relegation Battle

2 games to go in the season and the fiercest of battle are happening at the foot of the table as the bottom sides look to avoid relegation. Here is how it looks like at the bottom.

..................P F A GD Pts
Sheffield United.36 31 50 -19 38
Fulham...........36 36 57 -21 36
Wigan Ath.......36 35 57 -22 35
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West Ham.......36 31 58 -27 35
Charlton.........36 32 56 -24 33
Watford.........36 26 58 -32 24 (Already Relegated)

Here are the weekend matches involving the struggling sides

Fulham vs Liverpool
Fulham's miserable run of 10 games without a victory has seen them slide to just one point above the relegation zone. Champions League finalists Liverpool have won seven of the 11 Premier League meetings between the two clubs, with Cottagers' two successes both coming on home turf. Rafael Benitez's men are often at their most potent against Fulham, having scored an astonishing 16 times in their last five meetings, including a 4-0 rout at Anfield back in December when defender Jamie Carragher bagged only his third league goal in 324 appearances.

Steven Gerrard is almost certain to be left out of Liverpool’s match at Fulham, having also been rested at Portsmouth last weekend. Riise, Finnan, Carragher and
Reina are also expected to be rested. Starts could be handed out to Italian Under 21 goalkeeper Daniel Padelli and Argentinian Emiliano Insua.

Defenders Franck Queudrue (ankle) and Ian Pearce (calf), midfielders Jimmy Bullard (knee), Mark Pembridge (calf) and Simon Elliott (calf) are in the treatment room and will be unavailable.

Fulham: Niemi, Volz, Bocanegra, Knight, Rosenior, Brown, Radzinski, McBride, Routledge, C Jensen, Davies, Smertin, Christanval, Helguson, Lastuvka, John, Dempsey, Montella, Diop.
Liverpool: Padelli, Arbeloa, Hyypia, Paletta, Insua, Gonzalez, Alonso, Sissoko, Zenden, Fowler, Bellamy, Reina, Crouch, Pennant, El Zhar, Hobbs, Anderson, Finnan.

Predictions: 1-1 Draw


West Ham vs Bolton
The Hammers have climbed from what many deemed the point of no return in their relegation battle in early March to a position where they only remain in the drop zone on goal difference. But with a trip to title-chasing Manchester United to come in their final fixture, victory over Bolton is seen as essential for Alan Curbishley's side who have taken 15 from the last 21pts on offer. The Trotters, who have not won in four and are beginning a new era under Sammy Lee following the departure of Sam Allardyce, have won five of the 11 Premier League meetings between the teams.

Bolton’s captain Kevin Nolan is expected to return following an ankle injury while Giannakopolous and Faye will face late fitness tests. Diouf, Hunt and Ben Haim are still out.

Marlon Harewood and Bobby Zamora are expected to fight for the place in attack alongside the influential Carlos Tevez.

West Ham United: Green, Neill, Collins, Ferdinand, McCartney, Bowyer, Reo-Coker, Noble, Etherington, Zamora, Tevez, Carroll, Benayoun, Konchesky, Dailly, Cole, Spector, Mullins, Harewood, Boa Morte, Sheringham.
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Campo, Meite, Michalik, Faye, Gardner, Giannakopoulos, Teymourian, Speed, Nolan, Thompson, Tal, Davies, Anelka, Vaz Te, Sinclair, Martin, Al Habsi.

Predictions: 2-1 West Ham Win


Wigan Athletic vs Middlesbrough
Wigan have failed to win in any of their last seven fixtures and are now only out of the relegation places on goal difference, with last weekend's 3-0 home defeat by West Ham by far the most damaging of all their recent results. A meeting with inconsistent Middlesbrough could provide the perfect opportnity for the Latics, with the Riverside outfit having lost three and drawn one of their last four games. Wigan are unbeaten in their three Premier League meetings against Boro but need to tighten up defensively having conceded 12 goals in their last five games.

Wigan Athletic winger Antonio Valencia returns after serving a three-match suspension. Skipper Arjan de Zeeuw is out after sustaining an ankle injury against the Hammers.

Defender Abel Xavier remains a doubt for Boro. Midfielder Julio Arca returned from a groin strain as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur last week and is in contention for a start, while full-back Andrew Taylor is likely to play his last game before undergoing surgery on his big toe.

Wigan Athletic: Filan, Granqvist, Jackson, Camara, Kilbane, Valencia, Heskey, McCulloch, Johansson, Landzaat, Aghahowa, Scharner, Skoko, Taylor, Folan, Cywka, Cotterill, Baines, Boyce, Unsworth, Pollitt.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Jones, Davies, Parnaby, Taylor, Woodgate, Pogatetz, Huth, Riggott, Boateng, Arca, Rochemback, Cattermole, Downing, Morrison, Johnson, Viduka, Yakubu, Lee, Christie.

Predictions: 2-2 Draw


Aston Villa vs Sheffield United
Sheffield United moved to the brink of Barclays Premiership safety with their priceless 1-0 victory over relegated Watford last time out, but travel to the Midlands to tackle a Villa side who are unbeaten in their last seven matches. With Martin O'Neill's men having conceded just 14 goals at Villa Park, and the Blades scoring just eight times so far on their travels, the visitors will have their work cut out to find the net. And of the five previous Premier League meetings between the two clubs, four have gone the way of Villa, with the Blades' only point coming in December with Stephen Quinn and Danny Webber on target in the 2-2 Bramall Lane draw.

Maloney is out with an ankle injury, which he suffered after scoring his first goal for Villa in last weekend’s 2-0 win at Manchester City. Ashley Young is again likely to be preferred to the more experienced Patrik Berger on the left-hand side of midfield.

Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock has almost a full squad to choose from for the Villa Park clash. Striker Rob Hulse remains the only long-term casualty as he continues his recovery from a broken leg.

Aston Villa: Sorensen, Bardsley, Mellberg, Laursen, Bouma, Gardner, Petrov, Barry, Young, Carew, Agbonlahor, Taylor, Cahill, Moore, Berger, Davis, Hughes.
Sheffield United: Kenny, Bromby, Morgan, Jagielka, Shelton, Stead, Webber, A Quinn, Kozluk, Kilgallon, Montgomery, Tonge, Gillespie, Armstrong, Leigertwood, Lucketti, Fathi, Geary, Nade, S Quinn, Kazim-Richards, Bennett.

Predictions: 2-0 Villa Win


Charlton vs Tottenham
Charlton's relegation battle has faded in recent weeks with 'Operation Ewood' ending in a 4-1 defeat against Blackburn Rovers to cap an unhappy run of five games without a victory. With just two matches remaining the Addicks have ground to make up on all their rivals and do not have the best Premier League record against UEFA Cup hopefuls Spurs. Of their seven meetings at The Valley, the visitors have left with all three points on four occasions. Goals should not be short supply, with an impressive haul of 29 from the last seven encounters, including six in Spurs' 5-1 White Hart Lane triumph in December.
Tottenham Hotspur are hoping Robbie Keane recovers from an ankle injury. Defenders

Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Anthony Gardner (fractured leg) have been back in training, while Teemu Tainio is available after his ankle complaint. Mido (groin), Paul Stalteri (knee) and Lee Young-Pyo (knee) have been ruled out.

Ben Thatcher is suspended after his red card against Blackburn Rovers. Hermann Hreidarsson (knee) is a doubt which means Souleymane Diawara or Madjid Bougherra are options tp cover in the centre of defence. On-loan goalkeeper Scott Carson will make his last appearance for the Addicks this season as he is ineligible for the trip to parent club Liverpool next weekend.

Charlton Athletic: Carson, Young, El Karkouri, Diawara, Hreidarsson, Ambrose, Song,
Holland, M Bent, Thomas, D Bent, Randolph, Hasselbaink, Rommedahl, Zheng Zhi, Bougherra, Faye.
Tottenham Hotspur: Robinson, Cerny, Alnwick, Chimbonda, Assou-Ekotto, Rocha, Dawson, King, Gardner, Ifil, Zokora, Tainio, Jenas, Murphy, Ghaly, Malbranque, Huddlestone, Lennon, Taarabt, C Lee, Barnard, Berbatov, Defoe, Keane.

Predictions: 1-3 Tottenham Win
Charlton will get relegated this season. It could happen tonight they lose to spurs and other results don’t go their way.