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Two relegation threatened teams meet this weekend when Blackburn host Birmingham at Ewood Park.
This is a massive game at the bottom of the Premier League table, with just goals scored separating the two teams who each sit just two points above the drop zone.
Blackburn will be in good spirits following their resilient draw at Arsenal last time out, but they know they have plenty of hard work to do in order to secure their Premier League status.
They are under massive pressure from expectant owners and manager Steve Kean will be desperate to have the winning feeling for the first time since a 2-0 win over West Brom in January.
The board have recently said that his job is safe, but the amount of managerial departures this season shows that things can change very quickly indeed. The overriding fact is that Blackburn need to remain in the top-flight and they will do anything to achieve that.
Simply put, Kean and Blackburn need a win and a home game against a team just below them in the table represents the perfect opportunity.
Birmingham will travel to Ewood Park with confidence though following their recent 2-1 victory over Bolton, there first three points since the Carling Cup final win over Arsenal.
The game this weekend presents Alex McLeish’s team the chance to prove that their Carling Cup hangover is well and truly over and that they are ready to finish the league campaign strongly.
They don’t want to be playing European football as a Championship team, so each of the remaining seven matches are cup finals in their own right, starting with the crucial clash with Blackburn this weekend.
The strange thing about the Premier League this season is that both these teams can go as high as 13th if they pick up three points. That shows just how tight it is.
We have reached the business end of proceedings and come Saturday evening, either Blackburn or Birmingham could be breathing a huge sigh of relief as the gap widens between themselves and the drop zone.
