Sport Grill

Now that the last International break of this season is over, attention switches back to the Premier League.

Chelsea are streaking away at the top but relegation is still difficult to settle. Serval clubs still aren’t safe with games quickly running out before we reach the season finale on 21st May.

Those sitting between 10th – 15th surely should survive so attention will be on those sat in the bottom five spots.

Those fighting the drop have very different run ins so who will go on and make the great escape?

 

Sunderland

• Watford vs Sunderland (1st April) – L 1-0
• Leicester vs Sunderland (4th April) – L 2-0
• Sunderland vs Manchester United (9th April) – L 0-3
• Sunderland vs West Ham (15th April) – D 2-2
• Middlesbrough vs Sunderland (26th April) – L 1-0
• Sunderland vs Bournemouth (29th April) – L 0-1 (RELEGATED)
• Hull vs Sunderland (6th May) – W 0-2
• Sunderland vs Swansea (13th May) – L 0-2
• Arsenal vs Sunderland (16th May) – L 2-0
• Chelsea vs Sunderland (21st May) – L 5-1

 

David Moyes will of seen the run in as favourable given the Black Cats’ escapology acts in the last three seasons.

Sunderland deserve to go down given how woeful they have been throughout April.

The best they can do now is try and interfere with Hull and Swansea’s relegation battles to give Middlesbrough a shot at survival.

 

Middlesbrough

• Swansea vs Middlesbrough (2nd April) – D 0-0
• Hull vs Middlesbrough (5th April) – L 4-2
• Middlesbrough vs Burnley (8th April) – D 0-0
• Middlesbrough vs Arsenal (17th April) – L 1-2
• Bournemouth vs Middlesbrough (22nd April) – L 4-0
• Middlesbrough vs Sunderland (26th April) – L 1-0
• Middlesbrough vs Manchester City (30th April) – D 2 -2
• Chelsea vs Middlesbrough (6th May) – L 0-3 (RELEGATED)
• Middlesbrough vs Southampton (13th May) – L 1-2
• Liverpool vs Middlesbrough (21st May) – L 3-0

 

Middlesbrough will be disappointed at failing to win in early April. Since they lost to Arsenal, they have played better except for the blip at Bournemouth.

Now that they’re down, the best that they can do is hope to go out on a high by winning their last two games.

 

Hull City

• Hull vs West Ham (1st April) – W 2-1
• Hull vs Middlesbrough (5th April) W 4-2
• Manchester City vs Hull (8th April) – L 3-1
• Stoke vs Hull (15th April) – L 2-1
• Hull vs Watford (22nd April) – W 2-1
• Southampton vs Hull (29th April) – D 0-0
• Hull vs Sunderland (6th May) – L 0-2
• Crystal Palace vs Hull (13th May) – L 4-0
• Hull vs Tottenham Hotspur (21st May) – L 1-7

 

Hull have the best run in out of those currently occupying the relegation spots.

They have done better than expected by picking up nine points in April but after losing at home to Sunderland, Hull simply have to go for it, despite facing two strong clubs in form.

 

Swansea

• Swansea vs Middlesbrough (2nd April) – D 0-0
• Swansea vs Tottenham Hotspur (5th April) – L 1-3
• West Ham vs Swansea (8th April) – L 1-0
• Watford vs Swansea (15th April) – L 1-0
• Swansea vs Stoke (22nd April) – W 2-1
• Manchester United vs Swansea (30th April) – D 1-1
• Swansea vs Everton (6th May) – W 1-0
• Sunderland vs Swansea (13th May) – W 0-2
• Swansea vs WBA (21st May) – W 2-1

 

Swansea have underperformed this month so need to get at least two wins in May, if are to stand any chance of reserving their Premier League status.

Looking at the remaining fixtures, anything less than five points will result in doom. The win against Everton has put them in a strong position and victory at Sunderland coupled with a Hull defeat will confirm their status.

 

Crystal Palace

• Chelsea vs CP (1st April) – W 1-2
• Southampton vs CP (5th April) – L 3-1
• CP vs Arsenal (10th April) – W 3-0
• CP vs Leicester (15th April) – D 2-2
• Liverpool vs CP (23rd April) W 1-2
• CP vs Tottenham Hotspur (26th April) – L 0-1
• CP vs Burnley (29th April) – L 0-2
• Manchester City vs CP (6th May) – L 5-0
• CP vs Hull (13th May) – W 4-0
• Manchester United vs CP (21st May) – L 2-0

 

Sam Allardyce surely had to be sweating at that run in. Middlesbrough’s might be bad but this is just a recipe for relegation, that he has made decent work of throughout April’s games.

The Eagles are all but safe so can  securing survival at home to Hull. Defeat and wins for both Hull and Swansea will force the Eagles into a three way fight to avoid the drop on the final day.

I had them down as sure fire relegation bets so despite a slow start, Allardyce has once again worked his magic to get a team out of trouble.

 

Predicted bottom three

Hull and Crystal Palace surely have to be amongst those going down. As to the final spot, it could be anyone’s but Sunderland might fail to survive on the final day.

18th – Sunderland

19th – Crystal Palace

20th – Hull

 

Actual bottom three

 

18th – Hull City

19th – Middlesbrough

20th – Sunderland