We are about 1 week away from the end of the season, and the relegation battle looks like it will go down to the wire.
At the end of the year, three teams will be relegated from the top flight and into the Championship. Norwich City and Watford’s demotion has already been confirmed, but who will join them?
Assuming Southampton are now safe, the fight to survive is down to three teams. Most sides have two games remaining this season but Everton have three, which could cause heartbreak for some.
Everton
Everton have never been relegated from the Premier League but there is a real danger of that happening this year. Poor decisions have hit the Toffees hard and they are now relying on Frank Lampard to save them. Everton replaced Carlo Ancelotti with former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, and despite a good start, it was never going to end well, and the Spaniard was dismissed in January. Lampard has arrived in his place and the Toffees have won two games in a row to give themselves a good chance of staying up. However, if they slip up against Watford, they could undo all of their good work.
Burnley
Burnley have been in the Premier League for six seasons and they now look capable of securing a seventh. The Clarets have won three of their last five to move out of the drop zone and above Leeds United. They have still only scored 32 goals but they have found a way to win games at this crucial stage of the season. It now looks possible they will stay up after Michael Jackson replaced Sean Dyche and the Clarets are unbeaten in his four matches so far. They have what looks to be a favourable fixture list, with Tottenham the only fixture you would think they would struggle to take anything from. The ties against Aston Villa and Newcastle look huge, and if they can win both of them, Burnley should remain in the Premier League.
Leeds United
Leeds have conceded the second-most goals in the Premier League (77), one less than Norwich, and because of that, relegation is still a threat. This year has been a struggle for Leeds and they have been in a dog-fight all season. Injuries to key players have exposed their squad and, after heavy defeats to the likes of Liverpool, Everton and Tottenham, Marcelo Bielsa was sacked and replaced by Jesse Marsch. The American made a poor start but the Whites were unbeaten in five. However, they were thrashed by Manchester City and lost to Arsenal, and now find themselves in the drop zone. Leeds still have to play Chelsea, while they travel to Brentford on the last day of the season. The Whites also take on Brighton, with the Seagulls in good form at the moment. Leeds’ recent wins over Norwich, Wolves and Watford looked to have been enough to keep them up. But Burnley’s resurgence means they will probably need at least one more victory from their final three to seal their place in the Premier League next season.
