Match of the Day - 2008/2009 - 18/04/2009

Gary Lineker presents all the goals and talking points from the day's Premier League fixtures. With the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal involved in the FA Cup semi-finals, the relegation battle takes centre stage, as one of the tightest and most exciting battles to avoid the drop in recent years hots up. Blackburn's fight for top flight survival has been helped by the arrival of Sam Allardyce, and Rovers enjoyed a 3-0 win over Stoke in his first game in charge in December. The teams meet again at the Britannia Stadium, where Stoke have looked very comfortable this season. Like Stoke, Hull were also promoted last season, but their Premier League honeymoon proved brief and they now find themselves having to scrap for survival, paying a visit to fellow strugglers Sunderland. And Portsmouth host Bolton, with both sides also needing points. Middlesbrough's plight looked grave before their game against Fulham, who beat them 3-0 earlier in the season. But the Cottagers have not been nearly as strong away from their home ground - could Boro carve out a desperately needed win at the Riverside? The day's other game sees Aston Villa host West Ham. Villa's form has dipped alarmingly in the second half of the season and Martin O'Neill's men had a miserable March - but three points at Villa Park would reinvigorate their hopes of finishing in the top four.