Skip to main content

The Premier League is back - when can title & relegation be decided?

 




The Premier League is back after a two-week international break.

And just in case you needed a reminder of how things stand at both ends of the table we are here to get you up to speed.

At the top, Arne Slot's runaway leaders Liverpool hold a 12-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal.

At the bottom, all three promoted sides - Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester - are well adrift in the relegation zone and looking as if they are destined for an immediate return to the Championship.

It feels like a matter of 'when, not if' those eventualities play out as we head into the final stretch of the season.

But when could the relegation places and title be decided?

What do Liverpool need to win the title?

Liverpool are currently on 70 points - and nearest challengers Arsenal can only reach a maximum of 85 points if they win their remaining nine matches.

The Reds therefore require 16 points from a possible 27 to clinch their second Premier League title - and record-equalling 20th overall.

Fifteen points could also be enough given Liverpool's goal difference is vastly superior to Arsenal's (currently +42 to +29).

In fact, given their goal difference supremacy, Slot's side might only need four wins- as long as one of those is against the Gunners - to secure the title.

When is the earliest Liverpool can win the title?

Arsenal beat Chelsea at Emirates Stadium in their game in hand over Liverpool before the international break.

That victory reduced Liverpool's lead at the top of the table from 15 points to 12.

But, in terms of when Slot's side can win the title, it has made little difference.

The earliest date Liverpool could win their 20th league title is 13 April, when they play West Ham at Anfield.

For that scenario to play out, Arsenal need to lose their next two matches against Fulham and Everton, with Liverpool beating Everton and Fulham in that time.

That would leave Arsenal 18 points behind Liverpool with 21 points left to play for.

A Brentford victory against Arsenal on 12 April would leave the Gunners 18 points behind with 18 points left to play for, leaving Liverpool needing a single point against the Hammers on 13 April to claim the title.

Statisticians Opta give Arsenal just a 0.8% chance of winning the title, with Liverpool given a 99.2% chance based on their position and remaining fixtures.

Liverpool's next five fixtures

Liverpool v Everton - 2 April - 20:00 BST

Fulham v Liverpool - 6 April - 14:00 BST

Liverpool v West Ham - 13 April - 14:00 BST

Leicester v Liverpool - 20 April - 16:30 BST

Liverpool v Tottenham - 27 April - 16:30 BST

Arsenal's next five fixtures

Arsenal v Fulham - 1 April - 19:45 BST

Everton v Arsenal - 5 April - 12:30 BST

Arsenal v Brentford - 12 April - 17:30 BST

Ipswich v Arsenal - 20 April - 14:00 BST

Arsenal v Crystal Palace - 26 April - 17:30 BST

What about relegation?

Wolves' 2-1 win against Southampton before the international break was a bitter blow to the bottom three.

Vitor Pereira's side are the only realistic candidates to be dragged into a relegation battle but that win took them nine points clear of safety.

Both Leicester and Ipswich still retain hope but time is running out for them to close the nine-point gap.

With 27 points left to play for, Wolves could secure their Premier League status by collecting 10 points from their next four matches, provided Leicester and Ipswich both lose their next three matches.

In that scenario, Wolves would go 19 points clear of the bottom three and there would only be 18 points left to play for.

What about Southampton?

Southampton require a minor miracle to stay up, given they are 17 points adrift with just 27 points left to play for.

Instead, Ivan Juric's side are fighting to avoid earning the tag of the worst Premier League side ever.

That unfortunate title - if we are judging on points alone - belongs to Derby County in 2007-08.

Paul Jewell's side finished the season on 11 points, fewer than the previous record set by Sunderland in 2005-06 when they finished with 15.

Southampton, therefore, need three points in the next nine matches to pass the unwanted mark set by Derby 17 years ago.

But the Saints are also battling to avoid becoming the 'earliest' team in Premier League history to be relegated.

That title is currently shared between Derby and Huddersfield Town side of 2018-19.

On both occasions, the two teams were relegated after gameweek 32 - when there were six matches still to play.

Southampton can 'beat' that unwanted record if they lose their next two fixtures, provided Wolves win theirs.

That would leave the Saints 23 points behind Wolves, with just 21 points left to play for.

What about the top four?

The teams that finish in the Premier League's top four automatically qualify for the following season's Champions League.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea currently occupy those spots.

But just five points separate fourth-placed Chelsea and Bournemouth in 10th, meaning there is a seven-team race on for that fourth spot.

Hold on, what about fifth place?

Here's where it gets slightly more complicated.

As things stand, finishing in the top four in the Premier League is the only official way to qualify for the Champions League via a team's domestic position.

But, it looks increasingly likely that England will be granted an additional Champions League spot thanks to its co-efficient ranking.

That means the team that finishes in fifth would also earn a Champions League place.

That team is currently Manchester City. But there are just four points between City and 10th-placed Bournemouth - and every team in the top half will fancy their chances of grabbing that extra spot.





Labels:
Location: Africa

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Syrian security forces accused of executing dozens of Alawites

  Syrian security forces are alleged to have executed 52 people belonging to the Alawite minority in the coastal province of Latakia, according to one war monitoring group. Footage seen by the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights shows dozens of bodies in civilian clothing piled up in the garden of a house in Latakia. An interior ministry source told the country's official news agency Sana said that "individual violations" had occurred on the coast and pledged to put a stop to them. BBC News has not been able to verify claims that the killings were committed by the forces of Syria's new rulers. This followed clashes   between government forces and fighters loyal to the deposed President Bashar al-Assad , which left more than 70 dead. A curfew has been imposed in the cities of Homs, Latakia and Tartous, where the fighting has broken out. Earlier, BBC Verify confirmed two videos that showed a body being dragged behind a car in Latakia. The United Nation...
Post a Comment
Read more

Save me from the burden that isn’t mine” – Jumoke Odetola cries out to God

  Actress and producer Jumoke Odetola has lamented over the current state of social media, criticizing the prevalence of “clout chasing” and a lack of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and common sense among users. In an Instagram post, Odetola described how interacting with people who lack these qualities can be mentally draining.  She also expressed her exhaustion with feeling secondhand embarrassment from individuals she neither knows nor engages with. Turning to faith, she prayed for strength to ignore negativity, remain unbothered, and avoid wasting time on issues that do not concern her. She wrote: “In this age and time where clout chasing is the new currency and lots of people do not even know where and when to draw the line. “If you still have common sense, emotional intelligence, social awareness, and self-awareness. I bet you don’t realize how blessed you are. The irony is it’s a blessing wrapped in thorns, those who lack these basic qualities can be incredibly...
Post a Comment
Read more

PDP crisis: Members suggest solutions, recommend sanctions

  Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the aegis of the Conference of Professionals in the Peoples Democratic Party (CP-PDP), have said only appropriate sanctions for erring members can restore the party’s credibility. The group noted that the fact that certain individuals have been allowed to consistently bring the party into disrepute and act as if they are above the law gives the impression that the party has lost direction. They suggested that erring party members be sanctioned to send the right signals to potential troublemakers as the only way forward. Protem National Coordinator of the CP-PDP, Barr, Obinna Nwachukwu, said this in Abuja on Thursday. He said, “The Conference urges the party’s National Disciplinary Committee to accelerate its proceedings on all petitions pending before it for necessary action.” The CP-PDP leader observed that the party leadership’s delay in invoking the statutory provisions of the PDP Constitution was largely to blame for the li...
Post a Comment
Read more