The Premier League is competitive as ever, and every team will want a place in next year’s campaign, but only 17 teams can keep their spot in the league.
How Does The Table Currently Look?
At the bottom of the table sit Sheffield United and Burnley, and whilst survival is looking unlikely for both teams, they will be determined to make a late push out of the drop zone. Above them sit Nottingham Forest, where there is just 5 points between them and 15th place Brentford. As you can see, it’s still all to play for in the battle for Premier League survival:
Who Could Go Down?
With only a few points separating these teams, and just 9 games left to play, every game could prove crucial for these clubs. Let’s take a look at each team in more detail.
Brentford
Currently sat in 15th place, Brentford will be looking nervously over their shoulders at the chasing pack. Thomas Frank’s team have earned lots of plaudits for their style of play since they were promoted via the play-offs against Swansea City in 2021. Whilst the London club navigated Ivan Toney’s eight-month suspension for betting offences well, they would undoubtedly be in a better position had he been available all season. Once they’ve played Manchester United in their upcoming fixture, Brentford have a relatively comfortable run of games to finish the season meaning survival looks likely for Thomas Frank’s men.
Everton
Everton are one of six teams that have never been relegated from the Premier League and they will be looking to keep this record. It has already been a rollercoaster season for The Toffees after receiving a ten-point deduction earlier in the season, which was reduced to six within the space of three months. Scoring goals has been the main problem for Everton but if Dominic Calvert-Lewin can find his goalscoring boots, and they can maintain their solid defence, Sean Dyche’s team should have enough to extend their stay in the Premier League.
Luton Town
Luton Town, the team everyone tipped to seriously struggle at the highest level, have impressed managers up and down the country with their brave football. The man-to-man marking system coupled with flowing attacking football has seen them compete with the best. After a difficult start to the season, it looked like Luton were the favourites to go down, but after a couple of important wins and some points deductions for the teams around them, they find themselves just outside of the drop zone.
Nottingham Forest
After sacking Steve Cooper in December and replacing him with former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest initially produced some great performances, beating both Newcastle and Manchester United. However, this impressive form was short-lived as The Tricky Trees then began to drop points in games they were expected to win. This, partnered with their recent 4-point deduction, has left Forest in one of the dangerous relegation spots, leaving many fans concerned that they will be heading back down to the Championship.
Burnley
Vincent Kompany brought Burnley into the top division after playing some exciting dynamic football in the Championship, which clinched them an impressive 101 points in their last campaign. However, The Clarets have faced some difficult challenges adapting this playstyle to the tough demands of the Premier League, and after accumulating just 17 points in 28 matches, Burnley will face a steep uphill battle to try and keep their spot in the Premier League. Their final game of the season against Nottingham Forest could hold tremendous value in the battle to survive the drop.
Sheffield United
There’s no sugarcoating this one. Chris Wilder’s men currently find themselves in an uncomfortable position sitting at rock bottom of the Premier League table on 14 points, after securing just 3 wins in 28 games. With Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United still to play, it appears that the writing is on the wall for Sheffield United and a position in next year’s Premier League campaign seems unlikely, but the latest betting markets aren’t righting them off completely. They do have a tough run of fixtures ahead of them, and it’s crucial that they pick up some points over their next few games to stand any chance of avoiding the drop.
Although the future of these teams is uncertain, we know one thing for sure, and that is that all of their remaining games will be as entertaining as ever. Who do you think will survive the drop?
