As we continue our run-down of the current Premier League campaign, we turn our attention to the bottom half of the league table and battle for top-flight survival.
Huddersfield Town and Fulham were cut adrift at the bottom of the table a long time ago. With just 24 points left to play for, the struggling duo face a near-impossible task of avoiding relegation. Bottom club, Huddersfield Town, are 16 points from safety with just 14 points from 30 games whilst Fulham are just three points better off on 17 points.
After a run of six defeats in a row, Fulham could attract plenty of support at 5/1 to finish rock bottom of the Premier League. Huddersfield Town are currently odds-on a 1/9.
One more team will join the doomed pair in the Championship next season and the bookies’ odds suggest it could be a three-way fight for that remaining relegation spot. Cardiff City currently occupy 18th position and are odds-on to secure an immediate return to the second-tier.
Before a ball was kicked in the current Premier League season, Cardiff City, were tipped to struggle. The Bluebirds defied the odds last season in gaining promotion and many predicted that they’d finish bottom of this season’s Premier League, perhaps with a record-low points tally.
Working with one of the league’s smallest transfer budgets it is a credit to manager, Neil Warnock and his players that Cardiff still have a chance of avoiding the drop. Cardiff’s chances have been dealt a huge blow by the news that defender, Sol Bamba, will miss the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
Four of Cardiff’s last eight games are against teams in the top six, including both main title challengers, Manchester City and Liverpool. Their hopes of survival are therefore more likely to hinge on the four other games. Of those four games, only Crystal Palace visit South Wales. Warnock’s Bluebirds also face crucial away games at Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley and Fulham.
Southampton were seen as the side most like to be relegated should Cardiff City beat the drop but the Saints are enjoying a mini resurgence under new manager, Ralph Hassenhutl. Southampton have won back-to-back home games against Fulham and Spurs and were unlucky when losing 3-2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Six points from three games have seen Southampton move ahead of Burnley in the league table and it is now Sean Dyche’s side looking over their shoulder. The Clarets are currently enduring a poor run of form and have some tough looking fixtures coming up. Burnley have lost three consecutive league games and are now just two points above the bottom three.
Burnley’s last four league games of the season are against Chelsea (a), Manchester City (h), Everton (a) and Arsenal (h). Therefore, the meeting with Cardiff City at Turf Moor on April 13th could be relegation decider.
Burnley have not lost at home to Cardiff City since May 1988 but incredibly the last ten fixtures between the sides at Turf Moor have produced eight draws.
Next Three Fixtures
Cardiff City
Brighton & Hove Albion (a)
Chelsea (h)
Manchester City (a)
Burnley
Leicester City (h)
Wolverhampton Wanderers (h)
AFC Bournemouth (a)
Southampton
Brighton & Hove Albion (a)
Liverpool (h)
Wolverhampton Wanderers (h)
Relegation
Cardiff City – 2/7
Burnley – 4/1
Southampton – 12/1
Moving on from the trials and tribulations of the Premier League’s relegation dogfight, there’s another battle for individual acclaim taking place in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot. In what looks like a four-way battle to be named the league’s leading sharpshooter, we at InterBet take a look at who’s most likely to landed to coveted trophy in the current top flight campaign.
Sergio Aguero
Goals So Far – 18
Golden Boot Odds – 6/4
No current Premier League player can boast a better goalscoring record than that of Manchester City frontman, Sergio Aguero. Since joining Manchester City in 2011, Aguero has found the back of the net in the Premier League on 161 occasions. The Argentine international is currently eighth on the all-time list for Premier League goals but has only claimed the Golden Boot on one previous occasion, back in 2014/15.
Aguero’s hopes of finishing the season as the league’s leading marksman could come down to Pep Guardiola’s team selection. With Manchester City chasing a quadruple, there will be some crucial Champions League and FA Cup games on the horizon. Guardiola may therefore opt to play Gabriel Jesus ahead of Aguero for a number of league games.
Mohamed Salah
Goals So Far – 17
Golden Boot Odds – 3/1
Last year’s Golden Boot winner, Mohamed Salah, was always going to struggle to match last season’s record-breaking haul of 32 league goals. However, the Egyptian remains prolific in front of goal and Liverpool’s hopes of winning a maiden Premier League title will lie on the shoulders of their talisman.
Liverpool remain in the Champions League but, unlike Manchester City, Liverpool are less likely to rest Salah for any of the remaining eight league games.
Salah is currently on a run of just one goal in seven league games. Next up for Liverpool is a trip to relegation-threatened Fulham. The Cottagers boast the league’s worst defensive record, giving Salah the perfect opportunity to rediscover his goal-scoring form.
Harry Kane
Goals So Far – 17
Golden Boot Odds – 10/3
Harry Kane has won the Premier League’s Golden Boot twice before and went into the current campaign full of confidence after claiming the World Cup Golden Boot with England last summer.
The Spurs forward’s hopes of a third Golden Boot were dashed by an injury sustained back in January. However, Kane returned to action sooner than anticipated and has claimed three goals in four league games since making his comeback.
Next up for Kane and Spurs is a trip to Anfield and title-chasing Liverpool. When the two sides met last season, Kane helped secure a dramatic 2-2 with a 95th minute penalty.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Goals So Far – 17
Golden Boot Odds – 6/1
Arsenal forward, Aubameyang is in his first full season in English football following his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund last January. Aubameyang is therefore the only player in the running for the Golden Boot that has not previously claimed the award. He did however claim the Bundesliga Golden Boot award in 2016/17.
The biggest obstacle facing Aubamyang seems to be the form of teammate, Alexandre Lacazette. French international, Lacazette, has scored in six of Arsenal’s last ten league games which has limited Aubameyang’s playing time. The former Dortmund sharpshooter has scored more Premier League goals than any other player since joining Arsenal last January but has not played the full 90 minutes in any Premier League game since February 3rd.
With eight games left to play in this season’s Premier League there are will certainly be some more twists and turns along the way. Sign up to InterBet today and place a bet on any Premier League betting market. We have numerous outright markets as well as hundreds of markets available on every remaining Premier League fixture. All new InterBet members can earn a £10 welcome bonus when they sign up.