Who's favourite to get the last relegation spot?
- Published
West Ham's draw against Crystal Palace on Monday night, means it is essentially 'as you were' in the battle against relegation, with Tottenham still two points from safety as they fight to avoid a first top-flight demotion since 1977.
Leeds and Nottingham Forest were the two big winners from the latest round of fixtures as both claimed big home wins to move eight and five points from the drop zone, respectively.
For Daniel Farke's Leeds side, that might prove to be enough and they will hope they soon find themselves excluded from the relegation conversation.
But, with Wolves now gone and Burnley set to follow, there is still work for all four sides to do in the coming weeks.
But for all De Zerbi's faith in his players' capabilities, the evidence of this season does not suggest a team capable of winning five on the bounce.
Spurs have not won any of their past 15 league games, meaning they are without a top-flight victory in 2026 and have managed only two since 26 October.
They must beat bottom side Wolves on Saturday to avoid equalling the club's worst-ever winless league run - set some 91 years ago, between 1934 and 1935.
By contrast, the form of Spurs' relegation rivals has been picking up.
Leeds have won back-to-back games to move to the brink of safety, Forest have two wins in their past three games and are unbeaten in five and West Ham have won two of their past five.
Zoom out a little further and the Hammers have taken 19 points from their past 12 games, Forest have 18 from their past 13 and for Leeds it's 18 from 14.
Since beating Palace on 28 December, Spurs have taken six points from 15 matches.
Remaining fixtures for PL bottom six
With five games remaining, Spurs will definitely think their run-in, at least on paper, gives them every chance of staying up.
Next up is a trip to Wolves, whose relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Monday night.
A home match against Leeds on 11 May is another Tottenham will view as an opportunity, especially if Daniel Farke's side have beaten Burnley at Elland Road in their previous game and essentially ensured their safety.
Even a tricky looking match at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa on 3 May comes at a good time for Spurs, as it falls between the two legs of the Europa League semi-final for Unai Emery's men.
A visit to rivals Chelsea before hosting Everton on the final day is not a straightforward way to finish given both teams seem likely to be fighting for European places.
But given how tight things are, that is something all the relegation candidates will have to deal with.
West Ham host Everton on Saturday before an away game at Brentford - and it only gets tougher with title-chasing Arsenal the visitors to London Stadium on 10 May.
Even with Newcastle enduring a disappointing season, an away game at St James' Park on the penultimate weekend is far from simple and there could be plenty riding on the home match against Leeds on the last day.
Forest arguably face the toughest last five with away games at Chelsea and Manchester United in May - the former coming just three days before the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Villa.
Home games against Newcastle and Bournemouth, on the last day, could be crucial but getting a result at Sunderland on Friday would help alleviate a lot of stress for Vitor Pereira's side before the remainder of the run-in.
