Survival at stake as Blackburn take on Pompey

Blackburn face Portsmouth at Ewood Park on Saturday in what is effectively a winner-takes-all match with Premier League survival the prize.

Last season, Portsmouth won the FA Cup as they finished eighth in the table while Rovers finished one spot above them but this term has been a significant reversal in the fortunes of both sides.

Managerial changes — Paul Ince was sacked at Rovers after succeeding Mark Hughes while Tony Adams suffered a similar fate at Fratton Park after being brought in to replace the Tottenham-bound Harry Redknapp — have conspired with a general lack of quality to leave Portsmouth in 14th spot, just one place higher than their opponents.

Pompey lost their previous match 3-0 to Arsenal but a goalless draw with Newcastle and a win over Bolton in recent weeks have edged Paul Hart?s side to the brink of safety with a total of 38 points.

Blackburn lost 3-1 at Manchester City last weekend, but a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic the previous week moved them onto 37 points.

With both sides knowing a win will virtually guarantee another season in the top flight, a tense encounter is in prospect.

Hart said: “Both ends of the table are nip and tuck but we are trying to concentrate on ourselves at the moment. We want to make sure we get safe as soon as possible.

“Blackburn are very direct, I saw their game against Wigan and they put you under pressure so we need to head it and defend well but we are confident we can get a result.

“We want to put it to bed as soon as possible.”

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce shares Hart?s sentiments regarding the need to assure Premier League safety soon rather than later and is comforted by the fact Rovers themselves can dictate their own future rather than leaving it to other sides.

He said: “We need to control our own destiny by winning, not rushing to the TV hoping the other teams have slipped up, as we have done.

“We want to make sure we get three points and if we do then we will be there. If we do that it will be in the bag and we won’t have to rely on what other people do.

“Get ready for Portsmouth, get another win and get three on the trot at Ewood Park and send everybody home happy, including ourselves.”

Rovers? England goalkeeper Paul Robinson is also confident the Lancashire side will be able to overcome Portsmouth to almost certainly guarantee their Premier League survival.

And he only wishes Rovers had got off to a stronger start in the first half of the season, believing a repeat of last year?s finish could have been possible for the side.

He said: “Obviously we had a difficult start but since Christmas our results have really picked up.

“I think if you look at our results since the manager came in, if we?d have kept those results from the start of the season we?d have been in the top half of the table.”

South African striker Benni McCarthy is Blackburn?s only real doubt after being substituted last week with a foot injury while Portsmouth?s French midfielder Younes Kaboul is responding well to treatment of a thigh injury.

Glen Johnson could also be back for the visitors after missing the Arsenal defeat with a hamstring complaint.