With six weeks left in the Premier League, only nine points separate bottom feeders Fulham from 13th placed Swansea City.
Here we look at all the relegation-threatened sides and evaluate their remaining matches, form, injuries and odds of staying up in the Premier League.
13. SWANSEA CITY 33 PTS (32 PLD)
Remaining Matches (6): Hull City (A); Chelsea (H); Newcastle United (A); Aston Villa (H); Southampton (H); Sunderland (A)
League Form: LDLLDW
Other Competitions: None
Injuries: Kyle Bartley, hamstring (no return date)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 28/1
Verdict: It was a good week for Swansea, drawing 2-2 with Arsenal and spanking Norwich City 3-0. With Michu back healthy and a reasonable end-of-the-season schedule, there’s little to no fear of relegation at the Liberty.
14. HULL CITY 33 PTS (32 PLD)
Remaining Matches (6): Swansea City (H); Manchester United (A); Arsenal (H); Fulham (A); Aston Villa (A); Everton (H)
League Form: WLLWLL
Other Competitions: FA Cup (v. Sheffield United on April 13th)
Injuries: Allan McGregor, kidney (no return date); Robbie Brady, groin (no return date); Paul McShane, ankle (no return date), Joe Dudgeon, knee (no return date)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 16/1
Verdict: It was a tough week for Hull, outplaying West Ham and losing before playing even with Stoke and suffering the same result. Losing McGregor to a kidney injury is also a concern. Still, the Tigers have quality and three more points should be enough to keep them afloat.
15. NORWICH CITY 32 PTS (32 PLD)
Remaining Matches (6): West Bromwich Albion (H); Fulham (A); Liverpool (H); Manchester United (A); Chelsea (A); Arsenal (H)
League Form: WLDLWL
Other Competitions: None
Injuries: Leroy Fer, hamstring (April 12th); Michael Turner, hamstring (April 5th); Elliot Bennett, knee (April 20th); Joseph Yobo, calf (April 5th)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 3/1
Verdict: Things are not looking good for the Canaries. They were spanked 3-0 by Swansea last weekend and now have two matches – against West Brom and Fulham – to get points out of before they face four Top 7 sides to end their season. For me, they’re the club that’s currently safe but is most likely to end up relegated.
16. CRYSTAL PALACE 31 PTS (31 PLD)
Remaining Matches (7): Cardiff City (A); Aston Villa (H); Everton (A); West Ham United (A); Manchester City (H); Liverpool (H); Fulham (A)
League Form: LDLDLW
Other Competitions: None
Injuries: Dwight Gayle, ankle (April 12th); Marouane Chamakh, hamstring (April 5th)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 3/1
Verdict: Gigantic, season-changing win last weekend for the Eagles over Chelsea. Might very well be the victory that keeps them in the Premier League. Palace will need to find more points elsewhere but with a game in hand and a favorable end-of-the-season schedule, Tony Pulis’ record of never being relegated should remain in tact.
17. WEST BROMWICH ALBION 29 PTS (31 PLD)
Remaining Matches (7): Norwich City (A); Tottenham (H); Manchester City (A); West Ham United (H); Arsenal (A); Sunderland (H); Stoke City (H)
League Form: DDLWLD
Other Competitions: None
Injuries: Gareth McCauley, ankle (no return date); Victor Anichebe, hamstring (April 5th); Claudio Yacob, hamstring (April 12th); Chris Brunt, knee (April 12th); Billy Jones, hamstring (April 12th)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 3/1
Verdict: Had last week’s game in the palm of their hand before Berahino failed to go to the corner flag, lost the ball and Cardiff scored in the last second to draw 3-3. Dropping points to Cardiff is a bad, bad thing and this week the Albion will try to avoid the same fate against Norwich in a match both sides will be desperate to win.
18. CARDIFF CITY 26 PTS (32 PLD)
Remaining Matches (6): Crystal Palace (H); Southampton (A); Stoke City (H); Sunderland (A); Newcastle United (A); Chelsea (H)
League Form: LLWLLD
Other Competitions: None
Injuries: Craig Noone, muscle (April 5th); Mark Hudson, hamstring (no return date)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 1/4
Verdict: Nice to snatch a point last weekend against West Brom but Cardiff needs wins. Three of their next four matches offer a strong possibility with Palace, Stoke and Sunderland all in the cards. Still, Cardiff in the Championship next season feels right, doesn’t it?
19. SUNDERLAND 25 PTS (30 PLD)
Remaining Matches (8): Tottenham (A); Everton (H); Manchester City (A); Chelsea (A); Cardiff City (H); Manchester United (A); West Bromwich Albion (H); Swansea City (H)
League Form: LLDLLL
Other Competitions: None
Injuries: Steven Fletcher, ankle (no return date);Keiren Westwood, shoulder (no return date)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 2/5
Verdict: Decent fight last week against Liverpool but a poor effort against West Ham put Gus Poyet’s side in a really bad place. Yes, they have two games in hand on most of their competitors but the Black Cats look positively anemic up top. No goals, no Premier League. Seems like a fair rule.
20. FULHAM 24 PTS (32 PLD)
Remaining Matches (6): Aston Villa (A); Norwich City (H); Tottenham Hotspur (A); Hull City (H); Stoke City (A); Crystal Palace (H)
League Form: DLLWLL
Other Competitions: None
Injuries: Dan Burn, muscle (no return date); Kostas Mitroglu, knee (no return date); Scott Parker, knee (April 5th); Damien Duff, knock (no return date); Georgios Karagounis, knock (April 5th)
Vegas odds to be relegated: 1/6
Verdict: Vegas offering 1/6 is likely the last odds for Fulham before they stop taking bets. It’s sad, really. Anyone who loves the Premier League, especially Americans, should have a soft spot for Fulham. The Cootagers schedule still has five very winnable games left but, well, you know, that’s a huge long shot.
