The relegation fight in the Premier League took a major twist just before the March international break as the walls start closing in on one of the biggest clubs in England: Tottenham Hotspur.
Direct relegation rivals Nottingham Forest traveled to north London and destroyed Tottenham 3–0 on Sunday, overtaking them in the standings and putting the reigning Europa League champions on the brink of disaster.
Tottenham haven’t won in the league since December and have lost six of their last seven. There’s no other way around it, the ‘Big Six’ club’s form screams relegation.
Things could’ve been much worse for Spurs, though, but West Ham United also endured a painful defeat at the hands of Aston Villa and Nuno Espírito Santo’s side still occupy the third relegation place as things stand, one point behind Tottenham.
Leeds United would’ve liked to collect all three points, but a draw at home against Brentford saw them go four points clear of the relegation zone, getting a little breathing room from both Spurs and West Ham.
The stage is set for a dramatic conclusion of the relegation battle on the other side of the international break, one that could easily go until the final day. Here are how the next five Premier League games look for those fighting to survive.
Tottenham, Leeds, Nottingham Forest, West Ham’s Next Five Premier League Matches
|
Tottenham (30 points) |
Leeds (33 points) |
Nott’m Forest (32 points) |
West Ham (29 points) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sunderland (A) – April 12 |
Man Utd (A) – April 13 |
Aston Villa (H) – April 11 |
Wolves (H) – April 10 |
|
Brighton (H) – April 18 |
Wolves (H) – April 18 |
Burnley (H) – April 18 |
Crystal Palace (A) – April 20 |
|
Wolves (A) – April 25 |
Bournemouth (A) – April 25 |
Sunderland (A) – April 24 |
Everton (H) – April 25 |
|
Aston Villa (A) – May 2 |
Burnley (H) – May 2 |
Chelsea (A) – May 2 |
Brentford (A) – May 2 |
|
Leeds (H) – May 9 |
Tottenham (A) – May 9 |
Newcastle (H) – May 9 |
Arsenal (H) – May 9 |
Tottenham will make the trip north to face Sunderland after the international break, a mighty task for Spurs given the Black Cats are dreaming of European competitions after defeating bitter rivals Newcastle United. Brighton & Hove Albion will visit north London the following weekend before Spurs finish the month with a must-win trip to bottom of the league Wolverhampton Wanderers.
May begins with a daunting trip to Aston Villa, before Spurs welcome Leeds United in a clash that could have massive ramifications in the fight for survival.
A rivalry match against Manchester United is up next for Leeds. Then, a trip to face Bournemouth in late April is sandwiched by home games against Championship-bound Wolves and Burnley, two favorable matches the Peacocks could capitalize on to exit the relegation fight by the time their aforementioned visit to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium comes around.
Nottingham Forest will look to build on their thumping win against Spurs when Aston Villa and Burnley visit the City Ground after the break. Yet Forest also have business to attend to in Europe, with their Europa League quarterfinal tie against Porto also taking place between those two league matches.
Away days against Sunderland and Chelsea as the calendar turns to May won’t be easy for Vítor Pereira’s side, regardless of how inconsistent the pair of opponents have been in 2026. Then comes a home bout against the slumping Newcastle during the second weekend of May.
West Ham will like their chances at home against Wolves after the break and a victory there could boost morale for the Hammers ahead of winnable matches away at Crystal Palace and home against an Everton side led by former boss David Moyes.
It’s critical that West Ham secure a couple of positive results in their next three games, since May begins with a visit to European hopefuls Brentford and a home bout against Premier League title-chasing Arsenal.