Last weekend, an uninspiring 0-0 draw sent Queens Park Rangers and Reading down to the Championship, but who will join them?
I have predicted that it will be very close this year and I think that one team will lose out by goal difference. I have also predicted three teams would all finish on 39 points.
Below is the current League Table as of 7 May 10:00am from 15th place downwards.
Contenders
Below I have made Club Profiles of the contenders for the third dangerous spot.
Wigan
Position: 18th.
Fixtures Remaining: Swansea (h), Arsenal (a), Aston Villa (h).
Latest Form: W,D,L,L,D
What they need to do to stay up?: A loss is expected at Arsenal, but if they can concede as few as possible that can be the difference between beating the drop and relegation. They will need to win at least one game and draw one. Swansea have nothing to play for so I think Wigan will want this more and get the result they need. Wigan preferably need 5pts, 4pts minimum. Manager Roberto Martinez is an expert at surviving the drop and I think he can edge Wigan into another Premier League season. Wigan are always know for the brilliant come-backs. On Saturday they came from behind to defeat an inform West Brom side and I think their determination will help them to beat the drop.
Key Player: Arouna Kone- the Ivory Coast international has scored 11 goals in 31 games this season and is Wigan’s top scorer. There will be a lot pressure on him to score in the next few games but I think he will help Wigan in their quest to survival.
My Prediction: 16th.
Newcastle
Position: 17th.
Fixtures Remaining: QPR (a), Arsenal (h).
Latest Form: D,L,D,L,W
What they need to do to stay up?: Newcastle will need at least a point. QPR and Reading seem to have done better since they got relegated and I only think they will get a point out of the next two games. Newcastle have the worst form out of the four contenders but I still think they will survive. Newcastle lost 6-0 at home to Liverpool after a rival loss home to Sunderland 3-0. Alan Pardew had a great first season at Newcastle and won Premier League Manager of the Year, however I think this may just be beginners luck and his time might run out very soon.
Key Player: Yohan Cabaye- The Frenchman has been Newcastle’s best player this season. He has linked up well with Cisse and creates chances where ever he goes. He is Newcastle’s second top scorer with 6 goals from 24 games. Cisse (34 games, 8 goals) has a lower goals per game rate (0.23, compared to Cabaye’s 0.25).
My Prediction: 17th.
Norwich
Position: 16th.
Fixtures Remaining: West Brom (h), Man City (a)
Latest Form: L,L,W,L,D
What they need to do to stay up?: 2 points should seal it for Norwich, however I think they are simply not good enough for the Premier League. Their run of form has been declining recently and I think they will grab a point against West Brom and struggle against a strong City side who are looking to seal second place. I think they will be unlucky this year and lose out on goal difference. I predict they will bounce straight back up however simply because of their promotion experience. They will need to concede as few as possible against City which is always very difficult at the Etihad.
Key Player: Anthony Pilkington- The 24 year old has been a key figure this season for Norwich. He is an all-round good player with decent pace, creativity, dribbling and crossing. Pilkington has so far scored 4 goals this season and creating 5 assists from 28 league appearances.
My Prediction: 18th.
Sunderland
Position: 15th.
Fixtures Remaining: Southampton (h), Tottenham (a).
Latest Form: D,L,W,W,L
What they need to do to stay up?: After the 1-1 draw with Stoke, Paolo Di Canio’s side are close to survival. Sunderland were 1-0 down after ten minutes and found themselves down to ten men after a Craig Gardner red card. However, the red cats showed good determination and fought back a well-deserved point. I am quite sure that Sunderland will pick themselves up from the 6-1 loss against Aston Villa. I think this determination will continue and get the three more points they need. I have predicted them to edge a home victory against Southampton and lose to Tottenham on the season finale. This secures them on a respectable 41 points and 15th place in the table.
Key Player: The dangerous Scotland international is Sunderland’s top scorer this season with 11 goals from 28 games. He got injured on international duty against Wales and has been rules out for the rest of the season. Ever since Fletcher was injured, Sunderland have struggled to find goals and ended up losing four times since Fletcher’s injury on March 22. My Prediction: 15th.
I think it will be very tight this season with Norwich completing the bottom three. It is very hard to predict the Premier League table even towards the end. I can see my results being wrong because of how tight it is down the bottom of the table.
Here is my predicted table from 15th place downwards.
Source: DSG
