The race on to avoid Premier League relegation:-

The race for 17th place in the Premier League is heating up, if you can call it a race. The relegation battle, or more likely the relegation scrap, heads into the home stretch, and there are still realistically nine teams that can end up in the bottom three, and suffer the drop down to the Championship. Is it the tightest this season? The Premier League was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96 - since then the average number of points separating the bottom 10 teams in the table after 24 games has been 18 points. This year it is just six. Only once before has there been just six points between the bottom half of the table - that was in 2008-09 when West Brom, Middleborough and Newcastle were relegated. That season just two points separated the bottom five teams at this stage of the season. Right now there are four points between the bottom five.
Stoke City, sitting in 11th place with 34 points, is probably close to safety. Any team below it has to still be considered in the danger zone, and the coming week will most likely bring a few more teams closer to the 40-point mark, which has usually been the barometer to determine which squads stay in the lucrative top flight. But will 40 be enough this year, or is that target maybe too high? Let’s take a look at the teams that are involved, starting from the team most likely.
Fulham is already on its third coach of the season, in Felix Magath. The Cottagers sit at the foot of the table, with 24 points. Manchester City destroyed them 5-0 Saturday. I would be shocked if Fulham stay in the Premier League.
Cardiff City lost 6-3 to Liverpool Saturday, and sits in 19th with 25 points. Have four matches left against teams on this list. It will be tough, but Cardiff has its fate in its own hands. Crystal Palace sits 18th, with 25 points.  With brutal stretch coming up, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Everton to play.  It does not look promising for them. Sunderland it has two matches in hand on the other teams, but it is with Liverpool and Tottenham, plus Manchester City, Manchester United, Everton, Chelsea to play as well. Could very well suck them in to relegation .  Norwich huge 2-0 win Saturday against Sunderland to jump all the way up to 13th. Norwich has to be clear going into the final four matches, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal the final four weeks. West Bromwich Albion Lost to Hull City Saturday 2-0. West Brom now occupies 16th, just three points outside the bottom three.
West Ham United another team with a brutal schedule, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, and City. I just have a feeling the Hammers will secure just enough to stay up, but once again, it will be tight. The most important number for any club looking to avoid relegation is 39. That is the average amount of points a team finishing in 17th has picked up and thus avoided the drop since the league was reduced to 20 teams. There are the occasional anomalies. West Ham went down with 42 points in 2002-03, the highest in a 38-game season, while West Brom stayed up with 34 points in 2004-05.
So, which three teams will be relegated to the Championship next season? My gut says Fulham, Sunderland, and Crystal Palace.