Premier League Relegation: Twists and turns aplenty in final dozen games

No fewer than 10 Premier League clubs are still embroiled in a titanic battle to beat the drop, and Ben McAleer is expecting plenty of twists and turns in the final 12 games of the season as he takes a look at the latest odds...

The race to avoid relegation took another twist over the weekend and, at the time of writing, three points separate every team between 11th and 19th. West Brom foot the table with 20 points and after a 3-2 loss to Southampton, are now four points from safety, yet to rule them out of avoiding the drop would be foolhardy to say the least.

Granted, defeat to Saints was a blow, with the Baggies now 8/13 favourites to succumb to relegation, but a look at their remaining fixtures suggests there is still a chance of staving off the drop.

Home meetings with Huddersfield, Burnley and Swansea are certainly navigable, though caution must be approach for the latter. Swansea have hit form at just the right time and have lost just the once since Carlos Carvalhal took over the Liberty Stadium reins. Few gave them a chance of staying up with Paul Clement in charge, but since Carvalhal's appointment, they've defeated Liverpool and Arsenal on home turf. The south Wales side are 6/5 to be relegated, yet since they changed manager, they've taken more points (11) than any relegation threatened team.

Conversely, Huddersfield have won fewer points (one) than any other Premier League side over that period. The Terriers are still to face the Swans between now and May, yet do so with morale low. They've lost their last five top-flight matches and have failed to win 11 of 13 away Premier League games this term.

What's more, they have failed to score in 10 of 13 league matches on the road this season and trips to Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City in their final six away games don't bode well in the grand scheme of things, with Huddersfield at 4/6 to drop into the Championship.

Crunch matches with Newcastle and Brighton could well determine their fate, with the pair at 2/1 and 3/1, respectively, to succumb to relegation.

The duo secured positive results over the weekend, with the latter landing a vital 3-1 win over West Ham to move level with the Hammers and open up a three-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone. A first win in seven certainly benefitted the Seagulls, who'll look to home comforts to stave off the drop. Brighton have lost only three times in the league on home turf this term, those coming at the expense of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

However, they're still to welcome Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United to the AMEX before the season draws to a close, while trips to Manchester city and Liverpool don't bode well for Chris Hughton's side across the final 12 games of the campaign. On 27 points, Brighton are still 2.20 to finish the highest of the promoted sides on the Exchange, with solid investment in January a bonus.

Newcastle, too, recruited well last month and can be backed at 2.06 to finish as the top promoted side this term, though a run of two wins in 17 has hindered their chances of top-flight safety.

A 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace certainly didn't help, with the Eagles maintaining their two-point gap between themselves and the Magpies on Sunday. Roy Hodgson has overseen just four league defeats between a 2-1 win over Chelsea in October and yesterday's clash with Newcastle, and has boosted their chances of top-flight safety immeasurably.

Palace are now 8/1 to be relegated this season, with their home form owing to their upturn in fortunes. Indeed, the south London side have lost just one of their last 10 league matches at Selhurst Park, but welcomes of Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool over their next three home games will undoubtedly test their mettle in their quest to avoid the drop.

An inability to turn draws into wins could prove costly, and similar could happen to Southampton. No team have drawn more Premier League matches than Saints (11) this season, though the 3-2 win over West Brom put a slither of light between themselves and the relegation zone.

At 13/2, Saints are a tempting proposition to go down, particularly as they're still to face Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, not to mention a south coast clash with Bournemouth, at St. Mary's. Four successive away league matches across March and April could certainly see them come unstuck, with one of those four away games coming at West Ham.

Following a bright start to life under David Moyes though, the Hammers have come under a spot of pressure having won only one of their last five Premier League matches. Defeat to Brighton on Saturday will have dented morale, that's for sure. At 6/1, West Ham are still a good bet to go down given their injury problems and a lack of attacking options may have them looking nervously over their shoulder.

They're still to face Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City before the campaign ends, though West Ham's performances against Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham since Moyes took charge is cause for a confidence boost.

They're level with points with Watford, however the Hornets admittedly have a game in hand over their relegation counterparts, albeit against Chelsea.

After a bright start to life under Marco Silva, Watford's form tailed following links with a switch to Everton and while Javi Gracia will hope to steady to ship, a run of three games without a goal isn't what fans would want to have seen. The Hornets will hope to enjoy new manager boost, similarly with Stoke and Paul Lambert, whose Potters outfit sits in the relegation zone on goal difference only. At 6/4 to go down, but up against five teams around them between now and the end of the season, they're not to be completely ruled out from staving off the drop.

Relegation 2017/18 Sportsbook Odds

8/13 - West Brom
4/6 - Huddersfield
6/5 - Swansea
6/4 - Stoke
2/1 - Newcastle
3/1 - Brighton
6/1 - West Ham
13/2 - Southampton
8/1 - Watford
8/1 - Crystal Palace
33/1 - BAR