The Premier League relegation battle resumes this weekend, with Middlesbrough and Sunderland both embroiled in the battle to remain in the top-flight. Barring an unexpected turn of events, seven sides look at risk of dropping into the Championship – Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson assesses what might happen between now and the end of the season.

The Northern Echo:

14 BOURNEMOUTH (Played 25, Points 26)

Pros: Eddie Howe’s side know how to score goals, and Bournemouth are the highest scorers of all the clubs involved in the relegation battle. That is usually a key consideration in the run-in, and while the Cherries are on a poor run, they have still scored five goals in their last four matches.

Their most recent outing against Manchester City hinted at a return to the form that took Bournemouth into the top half of the table in the first half of the season, with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Jordan Ibe and Josh King looking sharper than they have for a number of weeks.

Bournemouth’s run-in is reasonably kind, with their strong home form giving them every chance of a positive result when they host the likes of Swansea, Middlesbrough, Stoke and Burnley.

Cons: They might know how to score, but Bournemouth’s leaky defence is a worry, especially away from the Vitality Stadium. This month’s 6-3 defeat at Everton was a defensive horror show, and Howe will have to tighten things up if the club’s recent struggles are not to continue.

Bournemouth have won just one of their last nine league games, and having looked well clear of the relegation zone at the turn of the year, they could yet be the surprise team that sinks like a stone.

Are their players mentally prepared for a relegation battle given they were eyeing a top-half finish not too long ago? On the evidence of the last few games, it can be argued that Bournemouth lack leaders. If they don’t beat West Ham or Swansea in next month’s back-to-back home games, they could quickly be in serious trouble.

Predictions:

Today West Brom (a) D 1-1

Mar 4 Man United (a) L 1-3

Mar 11 West Ham (h) W 2-1

Mar 18 Swansea (h) W 2-0

Apr 1 Southampton (a) D 1-1

Apr 5 Liverpool (a) L 0-3

Apr 8 Chelsea (h) L 0-2

Apr 15 Tottenham (a) L 1-3

Apr 22 Middlesbrough (h) D 1-1

Apr 29 Sunderland (a) L 0-1

May 6 Stoke (h) W 2-1

May 13 Burnley (h) W 2-0

May 21 Leicester (a) L 1-2

Final Points: 41

The Northern Echo:

15 SWANSEA (Played 25, Points 24)

Pros: Having looked in grave danger a month or so ago, Swansea have been transformed since the appointment of Paul Clement. The new boss has clearly energised a squad that had lost its way under first Francesco Guidolin and then Bob Bradley, and the club’s key players have rediscovered their best form.

Swansea have won three of their last four games – the only defeat in that run saw them push Manchester City all the way at the Etihad – and as a result, confidence is high. Clement hasn’t tried to mimic the possession-based style that characterised Swansea’s early years in the Premier League, but he has freed up the club’s more creative players, and his side looks much more potent as a result.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is arguably the most gifted player at any of the clubs involved in the relegation fight, while Fernando Llorente looks much more comfortable with some Premier League experience under his belt. Crucially, Clement has also tightened up a backline that was leaking goals earlier in the campaign.

Cons: Is Swansea’s recent run the start of a sustained improvement? Or is it merely a short-term bounce in the wake of Clement’s appointment at the start of the year? If it turns out to be the latter, a four-point gap to the relegation zone might be insufficient to guarantee their survival.

While Swansea’s defending has improved, they have still conceded more goals than any other team in the top-flight this season. A lapse back into bad habits could be disastrous, and Clement doesn’t have a naturally defensive midfielder capable of shielding his back four.

Seven of Swansea’s remaining 13 games are away from the Liberty Stadium, and they are unlikely to get anything from Stamford Bridge later today. As a result, things might have to get worse before they get better.

Predictions:

Today Chelsea (a) L 0-3

Mar 4 Burnley (h) W 1-0

Mar 11 Hull (a) L 0-1

Mar 18 Bournemouth (a) L 0-2

Apr 1 Middlesbrough (h) D 0-0

Apr 4 Tottenham (h) L 1-2

Apr 8 West Ham (a) W 3-2

Apr 15 Watford (a) D 1-1

Apr 22 Stoke (h) W 1-0

Apr 29 Man United (a) L 1-3

May 6 Everton (h) W 2-1

May 13 Sunderland (a) L 0-1

May 21 West Brom (h) W 1-0

Final Points: 41

The Northern Echo:

16 MIDDLESBROUGH (Played 25, Points 22)

Pros: Boro’s organisation, spirit and defensive resilience are major strengths. The Teessiders have suffered just 11 league defeats this season, two fewer than any of their relegation rivals, and it is hard to see them being torn apart in any of the games that remain.

The expectation all season has been that Aitor Karanka’s side will be battling against the drop, so the pressure of the next couple of months will not come as a surprise. Most of the squad were involved in last season’s promotion success, so high-stakes matches should not be a concern.

Having come off the back of a tricky run, Boro’s next few games look inviting. The Sunderland game might have moved because of the FA Cup quarter-finals, but four of Boro’s next six matches are still against teams in the bottom nine places in the table.

Cons: Scoring goals has been an issue all season, and it remains the biggest worry when it comes to assessing Boro’s survival hopes. The Teessiders average less than a goal-a-game, and unless that improves in the next two months, they will struggle to turn decent performances into victories.

Will Karanka loosen his side’s shackles when they host their lower-league rivals at the Riverside? And perhaps more pertinently, will Karanka be able to handle the pressure himself given his emotional outbursts at the end of last month?

Boro’s next few games look inviting, but their run-in is desperate. The Teessiders face Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in their last four games – if they don’t have things wrapped up by then, they could really be in trouble.

Predictions:

Today Crystal Palace (a) D 1-1

Mar 4 Stoke (a) L 0-1

Mar 19 Man United (h) L 0-2

Apr 1 Swansea (a) D 0-0

Apr 4 Hull (a) W 1-0

Apr 8 Burnley (h) W 2-0

Apr 15 Arsenal (h) L 0-3

Apr 22 Bournemouth (a) D 1-1

Apr 29 Man City (h) L 1-2

May 6 Chelsea (a) D 0-0

May 13 Southampton (h) W 2-1

May 21 Liverpool (a) L 0-3

TBC Sunderland (h) D 1-1

Final Points: 36

The Northern Echo:

17 LEICESTER (Played 25, Points 21)

Pros: Can a team turn from champs to chumps overnight? Leicester are trying their best to prove it is possible, but you still get the sense that the reigning champions could click into gear at any stage and reproduce at least some of the form that took them to the title last season.

Will Claudio Ranieri’s surprise dismissal on Thursday night spark an immediate uplift? If the rumours of dressing-room splits are true, a change at the top could have a positive effect, and whoever replaces Ranieri will inherit a squad that has been underperforming dramatically for the last six months.

In Kasper Schmeichel, Robert Huth, Wes Morgan, Riyadh Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, Leicester retain the spine of the side that beat all-comers 12 months ago. They are out of form at the moment, but faced with the ultimate embarrassment of relegation, might Leicester’s title winners come to their senses just in time?

Cons: Last season, the final two months of Leicester’s season followed the same pattern as the first seven, even though few expected it to. This season, might the same be true in reverse? Having been so bad for so long, why should Leicester’s players be capable of flicking a switch to transform their form?

Leicester’s rulers are clearly hoping Ranieri’s departure will provide a short-term lift, but might it have the opposite effect and send the reigning champions into an even sharper tailspin? Having effectively downed tools under their previous boss, it won’t necessarily be easy for Leicester’s players to pick them back up again.

Defensively, the Foxes are awful, with last season’s resilience a distant memory. Things are no better at the other end, with Mahrez and Vardy in particular unrecognisable from the players that did so much damage last term. Unless they rediscover their best form quickly, Leicester could be doomed.

Predictions:

Monday Liverpool (h) L 0-3

Mar 4 Hull (h) W 2-0

Mar 18 West Ham (a) L 1-3

Apr 1 Stoke (h) D 1-1

Apr 4 Sunderland (h) W 2-0

Apr 8 Everton (a) L 0-3

Apr 15 Crystal Palace (a) L 0-1

Apr 22 Tottenham (h) L 1-3

Apr 29 West Brom (a) D 1-1

May 6 Watford (h) W 3-1

May 13 Man City (a) L 1-4

May 21 Bournemouth (h) W 2-1

TBC Arsenal (a) L 0-2

Total Points: 35

The Northern Echo:

18 HULL (Played 25, Points 20)

Pros: Having looked doomed in January, when the departure of Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore looked fatal, Hull have suddenly begun displaying signs of life. Their improvement has coincided with the arrival of Marco Silva, and the Portuguese manager is likely to be integral to their survival hopes.

Silva’s Hull side looks much better organised than the one he inherited from Mike Phelan, with the Tigers’ January signings having hit the ground running. Oumar Niasse is providing a goalscoring threat in attack, while former Sunderland midfielder Alfred N’Diaye has quickly formed an effective partnership with Tom Huddlestone.

Hull’s home form will be crucial to their hopes as they have only suffered five league defeats at the KCOM Stadium this season. Their next four home games pit them against Burnley, Swansea, West Ham and Middlesbrough, and could well prove decisive.

Cons: A lack of squad depth has been a major handicap to Hull all season, and it is hard to see the Tigers surviving if they suffer injuries to a handful of key players. Similarly, if a couple of first teamers lose form, Silva will not really have the capability to replace them.

While Hull are reasonably strong on Humberside, they have often been poor on their travels, and they will surely have to improve on that score if they are to survive.

Their goal difference is the worst in the division, and if things get really tight in the next couple of months, that could yet prove decisive. If they suffer another couple of heavy defeats, they will effectively be another point worse off.

Predictions:

Today Burnley (h) W 2-1

Mar 4 Leicester (a) L 0-2

Mar 11 Swansea (h) W 1-0

Mar 18 Everton (a) L 0-3

Apr 1 West Ham (h) W 3-2

Apr 4 Middlesbrough (h) L 0-1

Apr 8 Man City (a) L 0-4

Apr 15 Stoke (a) L 0-1

Apr 22 Watford (h) W 2-1

Apr 29 Southampton (a) L 0-2

May 6 Sunderland (h) D 1-1

May 13 Crystal Palace (a) L 0-2

May 21 Tottenham (h) L 1-3

Total Points: 33

The Northern Echo:

19 CRYSTAL PALACE (Played 25, Points 19)

Pros: In many ways, the current Crystal Palace team can be compared to Newcastle United from last season. On paper, their starting XI looks more than good enough to survive. The challenge facing Sam Allardyce, however, is transforming potential into points. And time is running out.

That said, though, the talent within the Eagles squad is undeniable, particularly in attack. Christian Benteke is a proven Premier League striker, Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend are England internationals, and Yohan Cabaye can be one of the best midfielders in the top-flight on his day.

If they can click, Palace should have no problems scoring goals. Selhurst Park can be an intimidating environment for opponents to visit, and when it comes to organising a side to succeed in a relegation battle, no one boasts more experience than Allardyce. He did it with Sunderland last year, and will back himself to do it again.

Cons: They might be capable of scoring goals, but Palace continue to ship them at an alarming rate. This month’s 4-0 home defeat to Sunderland showcased many of the failings that have plagued Palace all season, and set alarm bells ringing at a deafening volume.

The likes of Damian Delaney, Joel Ward and James Tomkins have been weak links all season, but Allardyce doesn’t really have any alternative options when it comes to restructuring his back four. Cabaye might be a talented play-maker, but his defensive deficiencies make him a weak link if he plays at the base of the back four.

Is Allardyce also a problem? It was widely assumed the former England boss would work his magic following his appointment as Alan Pardew’s successor, but there has been no sign of improvement so far. What if the England debacle has dented his self-confident approach?

Predictions:

Today Middlesbrough (h) D 1-1

Mar 4 West Brom (a) L 0-2

Mar 18 Watford (h) W 1-0

Apr 1 Chelsea (a) L 0-3

Apr 5 Southampton (a) L 1-2

Apr 8 Arsenal (h) L 1-3

Apr 15 Leicester (h) W 1-0

Apr 22 Liverpool (a) D 2-2

Apr 29 Burnley (h) W 2-0

May 6 Man City (a) L 0-3

May 13 Hull (h) W 2-0

May 21 Man United (a) L 1-3

TBC Tottenham (h) D 1-1

Total Points: 34

The Northern Echo:

20 SUNDERLAND (Played 25, Points 19)

Pros: They might be at the bottom of the table, but it is impossible to write off any team featuring Jermain Defoe. Sunderland’s leading goalscorer is the most potent attacking force in the bottom half of the Premier League, and is pretty much guaranteed to score at least another half-a-dozen goals provided he remains fit until the end of the season.

With some key players beginning to return from injury, Sunderland look as strong now as at any stage of the campaign. Whether that is enough to drive them to safety remains to be seen, but as this month’s win at Crystal Palace proved, the Black Cats remain capable of producing a performance from nowhere when it is needed the most.

The core of the squad has been in this position before, and has somehow scrambled to safety. They need to remain in contention over the next few games, but the fact they face Bournemouth, Hull and Swansea in three of their last four games means their customary strong finish could be possible again.

Cons: Sunderland don’t know how to stop conceding goals, and for all that the 4-0 win at Palace engendered optimism, the following weekend’s 4-0 home defeat to Southampton showcased much that is still wrong with David Moyes’ team.

The back four is an accident waiting to happen, and unless that changes in the next few weeks, the Black Cats could find themselves detached. Having signed a number of injury-prone players, Moyes can hardly complain if the injuries continue to mount.

Thus far, Defoe has avoided an injury lay-off, but if he was to pick up a problem that sidelined him for a month or so, Sunderland’s prospects of survival would surely disappear with him.

Predictions:

Today Everton (a) L 1-3

Mar 5 Man City (h) L 0-3

Mar 18 Burnley (h) W 1-0

Apr 1 Watford (a) L 1-2

Apr 4 Leicester (a) L 0-2

Apr 8 Man United (h) D 2-2

Apr 15 West Ham (h) W 2-1

Apr 22 Arsenal (a) L 0-2

Apr 29 Bournemouth (h) W 1-0

May 6 Hull (a) D 1-1

May 13 Swansea (h) W 1-0

May 21 Chelsea (a) L 2-3

TBC Middlesbrough (a) D 1-1

Total Points: 34


PREDICTED FINAL TABLE:

14 Bournemouth 41

15 Swansea 41

16 Middlesbrough 36

17 Leicester 35

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18 Sunderland 34

19 Crystal Palace 34

20 Hull 33