The Premier League relegation battle seems to be more interesting that the title race. The reigning champions Leicester City are among the teams who are fighting for survival, but the likes of Bournemouth, Swansea City, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, Hull City and Sunderland are sitting in the danger zone as well. With so many teams being in the relegation zone we had a quick chat with Craig Wilkerson, football expert at FootballPredictions.com, to see what his view is on the latest results in the Premier League.

Leicester City

Leicester City did well to beat the odds and win the Premier League title last season, but, as things stand now, the Foxes would be more than happy if they avoid relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2016/2017 season. Against all odds, Claudio Ranieri got fired, but it seems as if new coach Craig Shakespeare is on the right track to get the club away from the relegation trouble. The new boss marked his Leicester City debut with a thrilling 3-1 win and, to make things even better for the fans, the Foxes outplayed fellow relegation strugglers Hull City in their last league match. Taking everything into account, we predict that Craig Shakespeare’s team will secure the top flight survival as they seem to be on top of their game at the moment.

Swansea City

Swansea City experienced all sorts of problems in the first half of the season, but the Welsh outfit have been producing scintillating displays under Paul Clement in 2017 and they are on the right track to secure the elite division survival. Fernando Llorente has found his goal-scoring touch and considering that Gylfi Sigurdsson continues to impress in the Premier League, we believe that the Swans will stay in the English top flight. A win over Hull City on Matchday 28 would see them move one step closer to meeting the goal.

Crystal Palace

Over the years Crystal Palace have established themselves as a mid-table side in the Premier League, but their top flight status is in great danger at the moment. The club chiefs have faith in experienced tactician Sam Allardyce, who is certainly capable of helping the capital club avoid the drop to the Championship. The Eagles recorded back-to-back wins over the likes of Middlesbrough and WBA in previous two league fixtures, but it has to be noted that they face a tough fixture list in the remainder of the season. Sam Allardyce’s team will face the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester City before the season comes to an end, but the Big Sam knows everything about football and we believe that the Eagles will participate in the Premier League next season.

Hull City

Hull City chiefs did well to reinforce the squad in the January transfer window and, as a result, the Tigers outplayed star-studded Liverpool at their KCOM Stadium on Matchday 24. Marco Silva’s men, though, are on a three-game winless run in the league ahead of the visit of Swansea City and they need to grab something from the game if they are to keep their hopes of securing the top flight survival alive. Many football predictions are pointing towards Hull City dropping to the Championship, but considering that they face an easy fixture list in the second half of the season, we are positive that they will prove the doubters wrong.

Bournemouth

Thanks to a 1-1 draw with Manchester United, Bournemouth put an end to a four-game losing run in the league, but they were more than fortunate not to suffer a loss to Jose Mourinho’s team at Old Trafford. That draw was followed with a vital win over West Ham.  The Cherries had been struggling in the Premier League ever since key attacker Callum Wilson suffered a serious injury and we predict that he’ll be sorely missed in the remainder of the season. Eddie Howe’s troops have yet to face the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham in the second half of the season and we would not be surprised if they fail to avoid the relegation to the Championship.

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have already proved their worth in matches against top-table sides, but Aitor Karanka’s men will have to be at their sharpest in relegation six-pointers if they are to survive in the Premier League. The Boro failed to find the net in previous four league fixtures; the newcomers struggle in front of goal and that has been the team’s biggest problem so far this 2016/2017 season. The Riverside Stadium outfit face a difficult fixture list in days to come and it is no surprise they have slim chances of keeping their Premier League status.

Sunderland

Sunderland are one of the EPL teams who always struggle in the first half of the season, but they somehow find a way to retain their Premier League status. Last season Sam Allardyce helped the Black Cats secure the top flight survival and it remains to be seen if David Moyes is capable of repeating the “success”. Sunderland are six points behind the safe zone ahead of Matchday 28 and they will have to be at their sharpest in upcoming fixtures if they are to finish the season above bottom three. Anyhow, they are regarded as main favourites to go down at the end of the season.

Taking everything into account, we predict that the likes of Bournemouth, Middlesbrough and Sunderland are likely to drop to the Championship at the end of the season as their current performances leave a lot to be desired. With many clashes coming up in the end of the season we managed to get permission of Craig Wilkerson and his team to share the upcoming Premier League fixtures on https://footballpredictions.com/footballpredictions/premierleaguepredictions/ with you!

Posted on March 15th, 2017 by scott
Filed under: Article