The Top Flight
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Premier League: The race to avoid the drop shapes up in the relegation zone

By Uzair Madhani

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace in action during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace in action during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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It is set to go down to the wire. There are plenty of games between relegation threatened teams, and those just above the battle, such as Bournemouth and Newcastle, are still at risk of being pulled back in.

At their current pace, West Brom will likely be propping up the rest of the league, come the end of the season. The real question is: who will join them?

The Stoke-West Ham game will prove to be pivotal in deciding this. A victory for Stoke can pull them out of the relegation zone, but a West Ham win will see the Potters plunged further into the mire, while relieving some of the tension gripping the Hammers.

A draw would benefit all those around them. Southampton have put all their eggs in a Mark Hughes-shaped basket. If he gets the team going, they have enough quality in their squad, and enough winnable games to survive.

Roy Hodgson has done extremely well with Palace, who now have their toughest run of fixtures out of the way. He and his players will glean some confidence from the way they battled with Manchester United and Chelsea, and in Zaha they have arguably the best player in the bottom-half of the league. Huddersfield and Swansea both have momentum on their side, and should be able to ride that to safety.

Next: An English clash of colours

The three teams to leave the Premier League

I believe that West Brom, Stoke City and West Ham will be the three teams to go down this season. The Baggies have slept walked their way through the last few weeks, and do not look like they will be coming out of their stupor any time soon.

Stoke have not improved enough under Lambert, and may have given themselves too much to do. I fear that it may come down to the final couple of weeks, against Palace and Swansea, and I do not fancy the Potters to beat either of them.

My last pick to go down is West Ham. The club is in turmoil, with the fans in open revolt against the board. This has already started to take its toll on the players’ focus and performances, and unfortunately for them, I can see it getting worse.

The title may have been decided a while ago, but it is still all to play for at the other end of the Premier League table.

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