The fight to stay in the Premier League is intensifying as the 2025/26 season enters its decisive phase.
At the end of the season, the bottom three clubs will be relegated to the Championship - the second tier of the English football pyramid - and replaced by three teams from that division.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley sit firmly in the relegation zone, 12 and nine points from safety respectively. But Wolves in particular have been in good form of late, drawing with leaders Arsenal before beating both Aston Villa and Liverpool over the last week to make it eight points from their last five matches.
West Ham United lie in 18th place, the final relegation spot, but they moved level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest on Wednesday after beating Fulham 1-0.
Indeed, there was a time during Wednesday's matches when West Ham were on course to move above Forest. It took an Elliot Anderson equaliser against Manchester City and a 2-2 draw against the title contenders to earn Forest a point that keeps them above West Ham on goal difference. Such are the fine margins.
Tottenham Hotspur are only one point above the bottom three as they battle to avoid being relegated from the Premier League for the first time.
They were unable to win their game in hand against Crystal Palace on Thursday, losing 3-1 at home despite taking the lead through Dominic Solanke. Spurs also had Micky van de Ven sent off, which means the Dutchman is suspended for their next league fixture against Liverpool at Anfield.
Leeds United are two points further ahead in 16th.
Who is in the best form?
Notably, two of the bottom three clubs are in the best form over the last five matches, with Wolves and West Ham each earning eight points in that spell.
What are the remaining fixtures?
Wolves’ hopes of a sensational fightback are boosted by a look at their fixtures. Based on the current standings, four of their remaining eight fixtures are against fellow bottom-six sides.
There are several other "six-pointers" to come too, including two huge matches on the final day of the season.
Key fixtures between bottom six sides
22 March Spurs v Forest
10 April West Ham v Wolves
18 April Leeds v Wolves, Forest v Burnley
25 April Wolves v Spurs
2 May Leeds v Burnley
9 May Spurs v Leeds
24 May West Ham v Leeds, Burnley v Wolves
Remaining fixtures for the bottom six
| MW | Leeds | Spurs | Forest | West Ham | Burnley | Wolves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | CRY (A) | LIV (A) | FUL (H) | MCI (H) | BOU (H) | BRE (A) |
| 31 | BRE (H) | NFO (H) | TOT (A) | AVL (A) | FUL (A) | - |
| 32 | MUN (A) | SUN (A) | AVL (H) | WOL (H) | BHA (H) | WHU (A) |
| 33 | WOL (H) | BHA (H) | BUR (H) | CRY (A) | NFO (A) | LEE (A) |
| 34 | BOU (A) | WOL (A) | SUN (A) | EVE (H) | MCI (H) | TOT (H) |
| 35 | BUR (H) | AVL (A) | CHE (A) | BRE (A) | LEE (A) | SUN (H) |
| 36 | TOT (A) | LEE (H) | NEW (H) | ARS (H) | AVL (H) | BHA (A) |
| 37 | BHA (H) | CHE (A) | MUN (A) | NEW (A) | ARS (A) | FUL (H) |
| 38 | WHU (A) | EVE (H) | BOU (H) | LEE (H) | WOL (H) | BUR (A) |
Scroll across to see full table