EPL: Battle at the bottom

The relegation battle at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League table looks to have no respite for the strugglers

It looks as though Dick Advocaat’s recent appointment as Sunderland manager is too little too late to save the club from relegation doom Photo: Andrej Cukic — It looks as though Dick Advocaat’s recent appointment as Sunderland manager is too little too late to save the club from relegation doom
Photo: Andrej Cukic

Now that the Blues have been crowned champions, our attention can switch to the tense battle at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League. Which teams will remain in the Premier League next season?

I give you the breakdown on the likely contenders to go down.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa has two very winnable home games against West Ham and Burnley, with a trip to Southampton on May 16. The final game of the season may see Tim Sherwood’s men thinking more about the FA Cup final against Arsenal at the end of the month but I think they should have enough to claim all three points
against Burnley.

Final points tally: 41

Newcastle United

Newcastle is struggling at the moment, having suffered eight losses on the spin. The Magpies’ performance against Leicester last weekend was nothing short of dire and the players look to have given up playing for stand-in manager John Carver.

Having two homes games left is of some comfort, especially as they are against teams with little to play for in West Brom and West Ham. Still, I expect them to struggle against QPR.

Final points tally: 37

Hull City

Hull can forget about getting anything from its last two games of the season, away to Tottenham and at home to Manchester United. This means only a home game against Burnley is where the Tigers can pick up maximum points.

Final points tally: 37

Can the son of legendary Manchester Utd goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, Kasper, keep another clean sheet to help the Foxes stay up? Photo: mooinblack / Shutterstock.com — Can the son of legendary Manchester Utd goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, Kasper, keep another clean sheet to help the Foxes stay up?
Photo: mooinblack / Shutterstock.com

Leicester City

Leicester now has five wins in six games and I see no reason why it can’t be eight wins from nine games until season’s end.

There’s a home game against a Southampton side that may have given up the chase for a European spot, followed by an away game against Sunderland and a home encounter against QPR. The final two games are real relegation dogfights but I expect Nigel Pearson’s men to continue with their momentum.

Final points tally: 44

Sunderland

Sunderland has a game in hand on all its relegation rivals but its run-in looks daunting. Everton away this weekend will be too tough for the Black Cats while Leicester will continue its good form when it visits. The away trips to Arsenal and Chelsea will, of course, be of not much use to Dick Advocaat’s side.
Final Points tally: 33

Queens Park Rangers
QPR takes on Manchester City at the Etihad stadium this weekend and will struggle to take anything from the match. I believe QPR will beat Newcastle, while an away trip to in-form Leicester will garner nothing.

Final points tally: 30

Burnley

Burnley will find Hull away too tough for them this weekend but will take some joy from the visit of Stoke the week after.

The Clarets could take advantage of Aston Villa on the final day, although Benteke is on fire and will want to continue his good form ahead of the FA Cup Final.

Final points tally: 29

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[su_note note_color=”#b4f1fa”]About Andy Penders

Andy Penders (@andypenders) is the Head of Sports at #RedCardConnect. Andy previously worked at ESPN Star Sports, Fox Sports, Mio Stadium and Zoom Sports.[/su_note]