Who will survive the Premier League relegation battle?  | OneFootball

There is now only a quarter of the English Premier League season to go, and there are intriguing battles at the top and bottom of the table.

Arsenal is leading the way at the summit, although the Gunners have been notoriously jumpy in the past and could even be considered chokers when it comes to winning titles. 

Aston Villa continues to excel, and will still believe a title charge could be on, while Manchester United has surprised everyone by finally looking like it might qualify for the Champions League again. Chelsea and Liverpool will also be in the running for a possible top-four finish. 

You might want to read an honest BetUS review to see whether its markets might reflect the generally held view that Manchester City seems to be the only team that might stop Arsenal winning the EPL this year, but it is down the bottom where things are getting very interesting. With so much at stake, including financial security, remaining in the English top-flight will be the priority of all the clubs currently in the lower half of the table. But which teams will end up surviving this season’s relegation battle? 

Already down

At the time of writing, Wolves has won just one game all season. There has been a slight improvement since Rob Edwards took over managerial duties in November, but even he has said that his team are just playing for pride now. Relegation is all but guaranteed, and the more important issue now will be bettering Derby County’s worst-ever points total of 11. 

Wolves sold many of its best players in the summer, and some of the ones who remained were offloaded in the January transfer window. The club is already down, and Burnley is probably in the same situation (although with a slightly healthier points total). The Clarets didn’t win a single game between the end of October and a recent comeback victory against Palace, and have conceded more goals than any other team in the division. It looks like it will be one-and-done for Burnley. 

Intense battle

If Wolves and Burnley are already consigned to their fate, that leaves just one remaining relegation spot available. Many pundits regarded the battle as a direct fight between West Ham and Nottingham Forest a few weeks ago. But with a lot of points still available, it could be argued that there are three or four other sides who should be looking over their shoulders too. 

Forest seems to be in the most serious danger of the drop, with a fourth manager of the season now in the dug-out at The City Ground. An owner who hires and fires at whim could prove to be this club’s biggest problem, and its survival really hinges on whether the new man in the hot seat is able to get the players scoring goals and winning games. 

That would be just enough to send West Ham down in Forest’s place, where its manager will be keen to get some revenge on the Forest owner. There has been a slight upturn in performances and results since the turn of the year for West Ham, largely down to a few successful moves in the transfer window. 

Leeds will also know that it will be involved in this relegation scrap, even though it has picked up well from a poor start to its season back in the top-flight. Daniel Farke has been able to get his ideas across to a talented group of players, and a favorable schedule in the last few months of the season could help Leeds stay up. 

The other team that definitely has to be considered as part of this battle is Spurs. This is a club that seems to just love being the butt of everyone else’s jokes and could become the first EPL club to play in the Champions League and be relegated in the same season. Winning just two games since the beginning of December was enough for Thomas Frank to be shown the door, and now Spurs is another club desperate to experience a new manager bump. 

Surprise contenders

It is very likely that the third team relegated from the EPL this season will be one of those profiled above, with Forest and West Ham the immediate favorites. But there is still time for a lot of shocks and surprises this season, with other clubs not safe from falling down the table. 

You can cast your eyes further up the standings for two rivals who could make a shock entrance to the relegation battle. Brighton has seemingly forgotten how to win a game since the bells rang out for 2026, and a club much-vaunted as a model of how to be run will need to put a run together at some point to ensure that the current points gap between it and the bottom three remains in place. 

Crystal Palace would seem to be the one in more jeopardy, however. After winning the FA Cup last year, this season was going along quite nicely until the turn of the year. Since then, top players have been allowed to leave, the manager has confirmed that he will depart in the summer, and there seems to be a lot of frustration around the place among everyone who is still there. Don’t be surprised if it is the Eagles who are dragged down into the fight at the bottom of the table in the next few months.