Who can be relegated from the Premier League this weekend?
By Euan Burns
We're at the stage of the Premier League campaign when teams finally get their hearts broken or achieve what they have been working towards all season long.
The relegation battle in the Premier League in 2022/23 has been one for the ages and with three games still left to play, there are seven teams mathematically at risk of dropping down to the Championship.
Those teams are Bournemouth, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Everton, Leicester, Leeds and Southampton. While for Bournemouth and West Ham relegation is possible, they have enough of a points gap that it would take an extreme set of circumstances for them to go down at this stage. The fight is really between the other five teams.
Can Southampton get relegated this weekend?
The team in the most trouble in the Premier League as we get ready for the 36th round of games is Southampton. The Saints are bottom of the table, amassing just 25 points.
They are six points behind Leeds and Leicester who are on 30, then Everton who are currently safe with 32 and Nottingham Forest, who have 33. Everton are the team to keep an eye on as they are just above the drop zone.
Southampton need to end the weekend six points or fewer behind Everton to avoid being mathematically relegated.
If Southampton lose or draw their game at home to Fulham on Saturday, May 13 at 15:00, they are definitely down. This is because they will then be eight or seven points behind Everton regardless of their result, with only six points left to play for. Even if Southampton beat Fulham, they can still be relegated if Everton were able to beat Manchester City at home.
Leicester and Leeds cannot be relegated this weekend but they also hold the ability to relegate Southampton. If we discount Everton and say they have been beaten by City, Leicester and Leeds picking up even just one point each will mean Southampton cannot catch them.
With Leeds at home to Newcastle and Leicester hosting Liverpool, the most likely scenario is that Southampton lose at home to Fulham and are relegated in front of their own fans. Their terrible goal difference means that even if they end the weekend within six points of safety, their fate will be all but sealed.
Premier League Gameweek 36 fixtures of the bottom five
- 13/05/2023 - Leeds vs Newcastle (12:30)
- 13/05/2023 - Southampton vs Fulham (15:00)
- 13/05/2023 - Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest (15:00)
- 14/05/2023 - Everton vs Manchester City (14:00)
- 15/05/2023 - Leicester vs Liverpool (20:00)
Position | Team | Games played | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
16 | Nottingham Forest | 35 | -31 | 33 |
17 | Everton | 35 | -21 | 32 |
18 | Leicester | 35 | -15 | 30 |
19 | Leeds | 35 | -25 | 30 |
20 | Southampton | 35 | -33 | 24 |
Current Premier League table, top scorers & upcoming fixtures
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Can anyone qualify for Europe in the Premier League this weekend?
The battle for various European positions in the Premier League has been fierce and wide-reaching this season, much like the relegation fight.
Tottenham can have their Champions League qualification hopes dashed this weekend and will be keeping a very close eye on Manchester United. If the Red Devils win at home to Wolves and Tottenham lose or draw against Aston Villa, Spurs are out of the running. They would only have two games left to play and sit eight or nine points behind United in fourth.
Oddly, Brighton's hopes can still be kept alive regardless of the weekend's action even though they are two points behind Spurs. If Brighton lose away at Arsenal and United win, the Seagulls will be on 55 and United 66. Even though that is a big 11-point gap, Brighton will still have four games left to play and 12 points to compete for. It would be an incredibly tough ask and require lots of results to go their way, but their lack of games played so far keeps them in the mix.
Anything other than a win for Aston Villa and a defeat for Man Utd ends Unai Emery's slim Champions League hopes. Both Newcastle and Man Utd can book places in either the Europa Conference League or the qualifying rounds of the Europa League with victories, but they are aiming for Champions League qualification.
With Liverpool close behind, neither can mathematically qualify for the Champions League just yet, though Newcastle can get extremely close. If Liverpool lose and Newcastle win, the Magpies go six points ahead of Liverpool and the Reds will only have six more points to play for. Newcastle's goal difference is currently eight better than Liverpool's.
Premier League Gameweek 36 fixtures of the European fight
- 13/05/2023 - Leeds vs Newcastle (12:30)
- 13/05/2023 - Aston Villa vs Tottenham (15:00)
- 13/05/2023 - Manchester United vs Wolves (15:00)
- 14/05/2023 - Arsenal vs Brighton (16:30)
- 15/05/2023 - Leicester vs Liverpool (20:00)
Position | Team | Games played | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | Newcastle | 34 | 32 | 65 |
4 | Manchester United | 34 | 8 | 63 |
5 | Liverpool | 35 | 25 | 62 |
6 | Tottenham | 35 | 7 | 57 |
7 | Brighton | 33 | 18 | 55 |
8 | Aston Villa | 35 | 3 | 54 |
Therefore, your primary headlines to look out for this weekend in the Premier League are that Southampton can be relegated to the Championship, and Tottenham can miss out on Champions League qualification.