This year’s Premier League relegation battle is going to go right to the wire. Nine teams are vulnerable to falling through the dreaded trap door to the Championship and two of them square up this Sunday as Leeds United entertain Crystal Palace at Elland Road.
Both sides have changed their managers this term, with Leeds swapping Jesse Marsch for Javi Gracia and Palace changing Patrick Vieira for former boss Roy Hodgson. While Leeds were thinking of a more long-term appointment in Gracia, Palace opted for the short-term solution in Hodgson, but both clubs’ mission is to end the season having retained their top flight status.
Just a point separates the two sides heading into Sunday’s huge clash in West Yorkshire and defeat for either of them could put them in serious danger. However, this particular six-pointer is not going to be the last.
With nine teams at risk of finishing in the bottom three, there are 18 fixtures between these sides between now and May which is going to serve up one of the most dramatic endings at the bottom of the table in Premier League history.
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Some supporters will say that, with so many of these huge fixtures on the horizon, a slip-up at this stage won’t be considered that costly, but the truth is it will only further add to the pressure that they are already feeling. The age old saying in football is that you cannot rely on other teams results to ensure your safety. Clubs have to take matters in their own hands and only then will said pressure start to ease.
The hosts head into this one with confidence after beating fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest 2-1 at Elland Road in midweek. The Whites turned in a dominant display against the Tricky Trees and fully merited their victory. Palace also secured a valuable three points against relegation-threatened Leicester City last weekend thanks to a late winner from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
This match is set up to be an interesting tactical battle. Gracia will look to have his players dictate the tempo of the game with possession after seeing 63% of the ball against Forest. Leeds are likely to have a lot of possession again on Sunday because Hodgson likes his teams to be defensively structured but ready to pounce when an opportunity to counter attack presents itself.
As fans we cannot ask for more than to have 18 fixtures between the teams at risk of relegation to come in the final weeks of the season. It adds to the excitement and build-up for the matches as well as the entertainment from the games themselves because there is going to be a lot riding on them each time they roll around.
This relegation battle is extremely difficult to predict because there are way more teams that are in danger of going down than on average in previous years. We cannot wait for all the twists and turns between now and May.
Remaining fixtures between the bottom nine clubs:
15 April
Southampton v Crystal Palace
22 April
Crystal Palace v Everton
Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
23 April
Bournemouth v West Ham United
25 April
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace
Leeds United v Leicester City
27 April
Southampton v Bournemouth
29 April
Crystal Palace v West Ham United
30 April
Bournemouth v Leeds United
1 May
Leicester City v Everton
8 May
Nottingham Forest v Southampton
13 May
Crystal Palace v Bournemouth
20 May
West Ham United v Leeds United
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
28 May
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester City v West Ham United
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
