Will We Go Down? Work It Out Yourself

Last updated : 02 March 2018 By Footy Mad - Editor

Image result for Liverpool v Newcastle

With the relegation battle dragging in half of the teams in the Premier League, the battle to avoid the drop could be set to go right down to the final day.

Sporting Life take a look at each team hoping to stay in the division and assess their chances of survival.

West Bromwich Albion

March 3 - Watford (A)
March 10 - Leicester (H)
March 17 - Bournemouth (A)
March 31 - Burnley (H)
April 7 - Swansea (H)
April 14 - Manchester United (A)
April 21 - Liverpool (H)
April 28 - Newcastle (A)
May 5 - Tottenham (H)
May 13 - Crystal Palace (A)

Key man: Solomon Rondon

The Venezuelan striker has been leading the line for West Brom this season, and if they are to achieve an unlikely survival, they'll be looking to Rondon to help fire in the goals.

Key game: Watford away

The Baggies already find themselves seven points adrift and need to take the cliche 'one game at a time' approach. Pardew's side need to start closing that gap immediately if they are to secure an unlikely survival.

Baggies boss Alan Pardew has won just seven of his last 52 Premier League matches, a worrying record for a manager brought in to try and reverse the fortunes of the club after the dismissal of Tony Pulis.

The Albion are in dire straits at the moment following the fallout from the infamous taxi incident and their hopes for survival seem to be pinned squarely on Solomon Rondon. Unfortunately for Pardew, while Rondon’s hold up play and ability to bring in team mates into the game is exceptional, he may not be the prolific goalscorer that a team at the foot of the table need to drag them out of danger.

Sky Bet: West Brom are 9/2 to stay up in the Premier League this season

If West Brom are to survive, they need points right away - trips to Watford and Bournemouth along with home games against Leicester, Burnley and Swansea in theory give them a fighting chance, but their last five games include Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs. It's now or never.

Stoke City

March 3 - Southampton (A)
March 12 - Manchester City (H)
March 17 - Everton (H)
April 1 - Arsenal (A)
April 7 - Tottenham (H)
April 14 - West Ham (A)
April 21 - Burnley (H)
April 28 - Liverpool (A)
May 5 - Crystal Palace (H)
May 13 - Swansea (A)

Key man: Xherdan Shaqiri

Shaqiri's goals have been key to giving Stoke a fighting chance and much will depend on how big a load the Swiss maestro can carry.

Key game: Burnley at home

Stoke need points, fast, but providing they can keep ticking over until mid-April, the game with Burnley could be massive. Win that and they'll believe they can also take maximum points against Palace and Swansea.

Paul Lambert will have to try and shore-up the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season if Stoke are to have any chance of escaping relegation.

Lambert's honeymoon period was a short-lived one, amounting to just one victory over Huddersfield. Since then the Potters have slipped back into their all too familiar style of passive football with the occasional moment of brilliance from Xherdan Shaqiri.

Sky Bet: Stoke City are 8/11 to be relegated to the Sky Bet Championship this season

The Swiss playmaker is one positive for the Staffordshire club. He is the top scorer this season and struck against Leicester last time time out to make it three goals in as many games.

The 26-year-old also has six assists, more than anyone else in the Stoke team, and much may depend on his ability to drag the others along with him.

If Stoke can get through their trip to Anfield at the end of April with a fighting chance, a home game against Crystal Palace before a trip to Swansea will ultimately determine their fate.

Southampton

March 3 – Stoke (H)
March 10 – Newcastle (A)
March 31 – West Ham (A)
April 7 – Arsenal (A)
April 14 – Chelsea (H)
April 21 – Leicester (A)
April 28 – Bournemouth (H)
May 5 – Everton (A)
May 13 – Manchester City (H)
TBC – Swansea (A)

Key man: Dusan Tadic

The Serbian midfielder has been a regular feature in the Southampton side this season. They are right in the relegation mix and will need players like Tadic to provide further goals and assists to push them away from danger.

Key game: Stoke at home

The Saints welcome Paul Lambert's side this weekend and need to pick up points fast if they are to stay up. After the Stoke clash, they embark on a run of five games with four away from home, welcoming Chelsea as their only home game. They could be in serious danger of picking up little points on that run. The importance will be on the Stoke game to secure three vital points.

The shining light in a very dull Southampton team is Dusan Tadic. The Serbian is most definitely a luxury player but brings a level of quality that Saints cannot afford drop.

Alongside Tadic, Mario Lemina has also stepped it up recently to emerge as Southampton's unlikely talisman in recent weeks. Mauricio Pellegrino will need to get these two firing on all cylinders if his side are to remain among England’s elite for another year.

Manolo Gabbiadini returned to form at the right time to bag them a draw at Burnley last time and Southampton have to build on that. It'll be interesting to see how they get on against a Man City side who will have long since secured the title when the two meet on the final day of the season. Pellegrino's aim will be to have things sorted out by then and to avoid the need for a favour.

Huddersfield Town

March 3 – Tottenham (A)
March 10 – Swansea (H)
March 17 – Crystal Palace (H)
March 31 – Newcastle (A)
April 7 – Brighton (A)
April 14 – Watford (H)
April 21 – Chelsea (A)
April 28 – Everton (H)
May 5 – Manchester City (A)
May 13 - Arsenal (H)

Key man: Aaron Mooy

The influential midfielder has been a hugely popular figure in West Yorkshire since his arrival from Manchester City on loan last season. Dean Hoyle did a great job in securing Mooy's services on a regular basis and he has been an important part of the Terriers side. Despite missing the last few games through injury, the Australian will have a big part to play during Town's remaining Premier League games.

Key game: Crystal Palace at home

David Wagner's men have a torrid final five games which sees them come up against Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal. The importance will be on securing points in the next few games and anything after that will be viewed as a bonus. The crowd at the John Smith's Stadium have played a big part this season and will be required when they take on both Swansea and Palace.

Huddersfield had better hope they have secured Premier League football with a few games to spare as their final four games of the season are against Chelsea, Everton, Man City and Arsenal. The most important month for David Wagner’s side will most definitely be the next one as they face relegation rivals Swansea, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, although first they face a trip to Wembley to play Spurs.

Sky Bet: Huddersfield Town are 9/4 to be relegated back to the Sky Bet Championship this season

Despite a slightly faltering season Wagner’s stock has continued to rise and rumours are he is constantly being offered high profile jobs in his home country, while some have suggested he could even develop into an Arsenal candidate.

For now, though, back-to-back wins have given them the momentum to go on and survive, which would represent a job well done.

Swansea City

March 3 - West Ham (H)
March 10 – Huddersfield (A)
March 31 - Manchester United (A)
April 7 – West Brom (A)
April 14 - Everton (H)
April 21 – Manchester City (A)
April 28 – Chelsea (H)
May 5 – Bournemouth (A)
May 13 – Stoke (H)
TBC – Southampton (H)

Key man: Jordan Ayew

The 26-year-old is currently Swansea's top scorer and will need to fire in more goals if they are to survive in the Premier League this season. He's played a part in goals against Crystal Palace, Leicester, Newcastle and Huddersfield this season and will need to contribute more when they face the teams around them.

Key game: Stoke at home

A final day clash against Stoke City could be the decider on who stays up and who goes down. The Swans are unlikely to pick up points away at the two Manchester clubs and face tricky trips to both Huddersfield and Bournemouth. The game against the Potters will be massive given the time of the season.

While a lot of us may be distracted by F1 cars, lobsters and Portuguese tarts, Swansea City’s players will be very much focused on the fight to stay in the top flight. Carlos Carvalhal has lit up the Premier League since his surprise appointment in December but more importantly for Swans fans, his team are getting results. Since the Portuguese manager joined, Swansea have lost just two of the last 11 games in all competitions.

Swansea still have three of the top five (Man United, Man City, Chelsea) to play but those games aside, they have a run of matches they will look at as winnable despite slumping to a 4-1 defeat at Brighton last time, a defeat from which they'll have to bounce back.

Fundamental to Swansea’s success is their defensive solidity and at the heart of that is Alfie Mawson. Mawson has improved noticeably under Carvalhal and is the bedrock of the Welsh team’s back line. Should Swansea finish in the bottom three there will be plenty of suitors sniffing around the English centre-half.

Crystal Palace

March 5 – Manchester United (H)
March 10 – Chelsea (A)
March 17 – Huddersfield (A)
March 31 – Liverpool (H)
April 7 – Bournemouth (A)
April 14 – Brighton (H)
April 21 – Watford (A)
April 28 – Leicester (H)
May 5 – Stoke (A)
May 13 – West Brom (H)

Key man: Wilfried Zaha

With the initial news of a long-term injury being met with devastation from the Palace faithful, they have received a huge boost after Roy Hodgson stated that his recovery ahead of schedule. There is no doubt that Zaha is a real talent in the Premier League, the type of quality player that can keep Palace in the top flight.

Key game: Brighton at home

If being in a relegation battle wasn't already enough motivation for these two sides, a nice rivalry clash will get them going when Palace welcome the Seagulls to Selhurst Park. They're yet to beat Chris Hughton's men in two meetings this season, but Palace will need a result when the two sides meet in mid-April

Crystal Palace have won just two of their last 10 Premier League matches and have been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks - not to mention last weekend's late blow against Spurs when all their hard work was undone by Harry Kane.

Sky Bet: Crystal Palace are 11/4 to be relegated from the Premier League this season

The good news for Palace is that star man Wilfried Zaha is ahead of schedule in his race to recapture to full fitness. He will be fundamental to the Eagles’ chance of survival and the quicker he returns the better for Roy Hodgson’s side, who have perhaps the best run-in if they can survive March games with Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Brighton & Hove Albion

March 4 - Arsenal (H)
March 10 – Everton (A)
March 31 – Leicester (A)
April 7 – Huddersfield (H)
April 14 – Crystal Palace (A)
April 21 – Tottenham (H)
April 28 – Burnley (A)
May 5 – Manchester United (H)
May 13 – Liverpool (A)
TBC – Manchester City (A)

Key man: Glenn Murray

The 34-year-old is enjoying his second spell with the Sussex club and currently sits as the team's top scorer with 12 in all competitions. Murray has the ability to fire in the goals that could give Brighton vital points in their quest for survival.

Key game: Huddersfield at home

Hughton's men welcome the Terriers at the beginning of April in a game between two sides enjoying their debut seasons in the Premier League. Unsurprisingly, both teams find themselves in the relegation mix and the clash at the Amex will be the cliched 'six-pointer'.

Like Southampton and Swansea, Brighton are faced with the task of juggling Premier League survival with their involvement in the latter stages of the FA Cup which brings them a trip to Old Trafford in mid-March.

Chris Hughton’s team had struggled for goals until thumping Swansea 4-1, a game in which Glenn Murray once again proved his worth.

Pascal Gross has impressed in parts this campaign, being Brighton’s chief goal provider as well as second top scorer, while the loan return of Leonardo Ulloa could prove vital.

Brighton possibly have the toughest run-in of all the teams in trouble with eight of their last ten matches against teams in the top half of the current table, but they've done most of the hard work now and will look to their home clash with Huddersfield in April as perhaps the game which seals their survival.

Newcastle United

March 3 – Liverpool (A)
March 10 – Southampton (H)
March 16 – Tottenham (A)
March 31 – Huddersfield (A)
April 7 – Leicester (A)
April 14 – Arsenal (H)
April 21 – Everton (A)
April 28 – West Brom (H)
May 5 – Watford (A)
May 13 – Chelsea (H)

Key man: Jonjo Shelvey

Whilst the midfielder may have a tendency to get himself into disciplinary situations that don't help him or the team, there is no doubt that Shelvey can be one of the best in the league when he's on form. Newcastle will need a player like Shelvey in the middle of the park to help them avoid the drop back to the Sky Bet Championship

Key game: West Brom at home

Given their current record, West Brom could be relegated by the time this game comes around at the end of April. For Newcastle, it will be a pivotal point of the season that could present them with an opportunity to fire themselves away from a relegation battle in the final couple of weeks.

Given the tools Rafa Benitez has been given to work with this season, Mike Ashley could not possibly expect Newcastle to be in a much better position than they currently are.

Their recent victory over Manchester United was massive, but a reality check was dealt next time out, when they squandered a 2-0 lead at Bournemouth, eventually drawing 2-2.

Sky Bet: Newcastle United are 5/1 to be relegated back to the Sky Bet Championship

Victory there would've put Newcastle on the cusp of survival, but their clash with Southampton now looks huge. Lose that, as well as games with Liverpool either side, and they could well be in the bottom three with some difficult games to come.

Perhaps Newcastle will continue to prove nothing if not dramatic and wait until their final-day clash with Chelsea, against whom they so often play well, before securing their status.

AFC Bournemouth

March 3 - Leicester (A)
March 11 - Tottenham (H)
March 17 - West Brom (H)
March 31 - Watford (A)
April 7 - Crystal Palace (H)
April 14 - Liverpool (A)
April 21 - Manchester United (H)
April 28 - Southampton (A)
May 5 - Swansea (H)
May 13 - Burnley (A)

Key man: Callum Wilson

Despite missing the first months of the season with injury, Wilson has bounced back and finds himself as the Cherries' top scorer so far this season. He has been a regular starter and will need to continue scoring to push Howe's men away from danger.

Key game: Southampton away

With this one coming three games before the end of the current campaign, and with the way this season is going, this game could be the one that sees Bournemouth mathematically safe from the drop. Although, I'm sure they will be eager to do that sooner and capitalise on other sides dropping points.

Enjoying their third season in the Premier League, Bournemouth sit in a good position to keep themselves in the division. Despite currently being just five points off the drop, six teams separate themselves and Swansea City in 18th.

Two goals in the final ten minutes helped them secure a point against relegation rivals Newcastle last time out, ensuring they prevented the Magpies moving to within a point of them.

Their run-in has been quite kind to them as they only face three teams in the top six during their final ten fixtures, with two of those games coming at home.

They also come up against relegation rivals Swansea City, West Brom, Southampton and Crystal Palace before the season is up, giving them great opportunities to push themselves away from the danger zone.

Watford

March 3 - West Brom (H)
March 11 - Arsenal (A)
March 17 - Liverpool (A)
March 31 - Bournemouth (H)
April 7 - Burnley (H)
April 14 - Huddersfield (A)
April 21 - Crystal Palace (H)
April 30 - Tottenham (A)
May 5 - Newcastle (H)
May 13 - Manchester United (A)

Key player: Richarlison

He may have hit a rough patch of form recently, but Richarlison showed he is a top quality player in the first half of the season. Boss Javi Gracia said recently that the midfielder is battling hard to find those performances from earlier in the campaign.

Key game: Bournemouth at home

With both sides sitting in mid-table, the clash with Bournemouth will provide the Hornets with a great opportunity to push themselves further away from any potential trouble.

Despite sitting in tenth place in the Premier League standings, Watford find themselves just six points away from the drop.

A big positive for the Hornets though is their mini-revival under new boss Javi Gracia. The Spaniard has won lost just one of his four Premier League games in charge, including a huge 4-1 hammering of Antonio Conte's Chelsea.

The run-in gives them West Brom, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Newcastle all at home, games they are more than capable of winning.

Watford should be a Premier League side next season, and their odds of 40/1 to drop down to the Sky Bet Championship next season reflects that.

Everton

March 3 - Burnley (A)
March 10 - Brighton (H)
March 17 - Stoke (A)
March 31 - Manchester City (H)
April 8 - Liverpool (H)
April 21 - Newcastle (H)
April 28 - Huddersfield (A)
May 5 - Southampton (H)
May 13 - West Ham (A)

Key player: Gylfi Sigurdsson

The £50m man has been a key player for Everton this season, despite spells playing out of position. The 28-year-old has scored six goals and assisted a further five and can be cause defenders real problems when Sam Allardyce's men go on the attack.

Key game: Liverpool at home

Everton should be fine when it comes to relegation, but they'll view the clash with Liverpool as their most important in the final run-in. The Reds have already beaten them twice this season and they'll be eager for derby success in front of their home supporters.

The final team in the relegation run-in is Everton, but in all honesty they should avoid the drop without a problem.

Sam Allardyce's side sit ninth in the standings, seven points away from the relegation zone. With the amount of teams between them, and the quality of players within the team, should steer them well clear of trouble.

A concern for Everton though would be their away form. The Toffees have lost their last five away from Goodison Park in all competitions and have to travel to Huddersfield, Stoke and West Ham before the season is done. If, and it's a big if, they are to get dragged into a potential relegation battle, their away games will play a part.

It would be a huge surprise to see the Merseyside outfit relegated this season, but odds of 100/1 are available on them lining up in the Sky Bet Championship next season.