A Look Ahead To This Weekend's Soccer Fixtures In England

SATURDAY

FA CUP QUARTER FINAL

Manchester United v Portsmouth (1245 GMT)

Of all the draws that Portsmouth could have got for the quarter-finals this is the worst.

Pompey aren't playing all that well at the moment, while Man Utd are going from game to game and dealing with each one successfully.

They were not really tested against Fulham last weekend in the Premier League and had a comfortable time against Lyon in the Champions League in midweek.

United are into early March and remain in the hunt for the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup - and they are strong contenders for all of them.

Verdict: 2-0

Barnsley v Chelsea (1730 GMT)

A lot has been made of Chelsea's defeat in the Carling Cup final.

Avram Grant's team did not play well and their shape was wrong.

However, they have bounced back with a bang and I don't see them slipping up at Oakwell.

I expect Barnsley to give them a better game than Olympiakos managed in the Champions League on Wednesday but even if Grant rotates his squad I still think Chelsea will be too strong for their Championship opponents.

Verdict: 0-2

PREMIER LEAGUE

Blackburn Rovers v Fulham

I am not quite sure where the points are going to come from that will lift Fulham out of trouble.

I think that the biggest problem facing manager Roy Hodgson has been moving his players away from the mindset that they are going to be relegated. I'm not sure he has managed it.

Fulham have been reliant on their home form - which has not been great of late - while the Cottagers have been abysmal on the road.