It is starting to hot up at the bottom of the Premier League as three teams face relegation to the Championship.
Norwich are currently in the biggest danger having only picked up 17 points so far this season, to sit eight points adrift of safety with only nine games to go. To make matters worse for the Canaries they have lost their last six games, as an immediate return to the second tier looks almost certain.
Burnley are four points above them and have played two fewer matches than Norwich and fellow strugglers Everton. They have lost their last three fixtures but still have Everton and Norwich to play - which could decide their fate. Watford are currently three points adrift of the Toffees - with that quartet the most likely sides to go down. Leeds and Brentford have eight and nine-point buffers after a couple of recent victories.
But which three will be relegated from the Premier League? We asked Reach Nationals reporters for their expert opinions...
Neil Squires
The current bottom three are the weakest sides in the Premier League and, despite Everton ’s slump, there is no reason to suspect that will not be reflected in the final standings.
Harry Pratt
Burnley, Watford, Norwich
At the bottom, those in the drop zone are dead and gone. In the race for Europe, the only change will be West Ham coming on strong and overtaking disinterested Manchester United.
David Maddock
Norwich, Watford, Leeds
Norwich’s recent form is the worst in the division, so no chance. Watford have a win in them on a given day, but don’t have enough of those to stay up. And Leeds, purely because I think Burnley will somehow scrap their way to safety, and the Goodison factor will see Everton fans save their team.
Who do you think will get relegated? Have your say here
Gideon Brooks
Norwich, Watford, Everton
Norwich need a miracle which will surely not arrive while Watford face a battle they look likely to lose.With Brentford and Leeds having just enough of a cushion to avoid being dragged down, the final spot is between Everton and Burnley.
With Everton having a marginally tougher run in, it may go to goal difference between the pair with the Clarets just denying Frank Lampard’s side.
Neil Moxley
Norwich, Watford, Everton
At the other end of the table, it’s an interesting one because crisis club Everton have five out of the top seven still to play in their remaining games.
That clash at Turf Moor against Burnley next week looks to be a classic six-pointer and if the Toffees end up on the wrong end of that one, they’re bang in trouble.
Norwich just have too much to do - Dean Smith cannot rely on his defenders keeping a clean sheet while Roy Hodgson may have arrived too late to save Watford. On the other hand, Burnley still have Everton, Watford, Norwich and Newcastle to play.
That could swing it in their favour, so it’s Norwich, Watford and Everton getting the chop.
David Anderson
Norwich, Burnley, Watford
Sorry to be boring again, but I think the bottom three will not change and that Norwich, Burnley and Watford will go down. I think Norwich and Watford have always been swimming against the tide and have made little headway, despite their mini-revivals.
Burnley’s defeat last time out at Brentford was huge and that has all but clinched safety for the Bees, while pushing them further into the relegation mire. Everton and Leeds’ last-gasp wins also added to the Clarets’ misery and propelled both clubs away from danger.
Burnley aren’t losing that many games, their biggest issue is they are not winning enough and three victories is a sorry statistic.
Dave Armitage
Watford, Burnley, Norwich
A few weeks ago the battle to avoid the drop looked like being a thriller, but not now. Newcastle have turned on the turbo-chargers. Everton and Leeds have hardly set the world on fire but the bottom three haven’t done enough to get themselves out. Bottom three now sticks:
Simon Bird
Norwich, Burnley, Watford
These three are going down, and don’t have the goal-scoring ability or defence to put together a winning run and catch Everton or Leeds. Brentford have steadied themselves and will get a second season in the top flight. Everton have had their low point, and Leeds look revived.
Mike Walters
Norwich, Watford, Everton
At the bottom, all logic suggests Everton will extend their 68-year run in the top flight and Burnley's time is up. But since when did logic have anything to do with football?
Jeremy Cross
Norwich, Watford, Everton
Back to back wins should see Leeds safe, leaving four teams to scrap it out for survival. Norwich are cut adrift having won just four times all season and are doomed, while Watford look set to follow them back into the Championship.
Burnley have games in hand but have to win them, and still trail Everton by four points. Relegation is unthinkable for the Toffees, but their defence is so bad I think the unthinkable is about to happen.
James Nursey
Norwich, Watford, Everton
Norwich and Watford look doomed which pains me as a Canaries fan. I actually think our team is arguably weaker than the side which won promotion last term as key loanee Oliver Skipp went back to Spurs and Norwich then sold their most creative player Emiliano Buendia.
Norwich can't complain at the drop given their poor recruitment but fans should have faith in boss Dean Smith who knows his stuff and is a decent manager. At Vicarage Road, Roy Hodgson appears to be organising the Hornets into a better unit with seven points from their last six games but it looks too little too late.
The final place will come down to Everton and Burnley it seems with the clubs meeting on April 6 in a crunch clash. Everton have never been relegated from the Premier League before and Frank Lampard must be getting very worried. Burnley have been in the trenches lots of time before under Sean Dyche and I can see Goodison Park getting ugly later this season as they implode.
David McDonnell
Everton, Burnley, Norwich
Norwich are already eight points from safety, with nine games to play, so it's pretty safe to say they're going down. Burnley have managed to defy the odds in recent seasons and do enough to stay up, but this year I think will prove too much for them and I expect them to join Norwich in going down to the Championship.
I think the final relegation place is between Watford and Everton, who have two games in hand but who have the more difficult run-in, with fixtures against West Ham, Manchester United, Liverpool and, on the final day of the season, away to Arsenal. Given Everton's current crisis of confidence and lack of any kind of form, belief or momentum, I would put them as favourites to go down and Watford to escape.
John Cross
Norwich, Watford, Burnley
Burnley is the one I'm least sure about. I just think Sean Dyche does an amazing job and Everton and Leeds will not feel safe yet. I think Brentford have done enough. Dyche deserves a medal for over achieving every year but they might just run out of gas this time. Everton are in danger but Leeds will take so much heart from the Wolves win.
I like Roy Hodgson so much and he might have given Watford a fighting chance but he inherited a poor squad and Norwich are simply not good enough this time.
Paul Brown
Norwich, Burnley, Watford
Norwich have looked doomed for a while and three defeats in a row suggests Burnley might join them in going down. Watford have a shock result in them still somewhere along the line and can grind out a result better than some of their rivals. But even a win over Everton in their rearranged game may not be enough and the Toffees should just survive if they can make their games in hand count.
Andy Dunn
Norwich, Watford, Everton
Burnley have had three damaging defeats on the spin and are not likely to upset Manchester City this weekend but, after that, they have some winnable games while Everton are simply not firing for Frank Lampard and are bereft of confidence.
Darren Lewis
Watford, Burnley, Norwich
Burnley were the team I thought had the best chance of escaping but their recent trio of losses (Brentford was a game they had to win to give themselves a chance) has ended their faint hopes for me.
Watford and Norwich simply can’t defend and are where they are for a reason. Everton could yet be sucked into it but those games in hand could be crucial and if Frank Lampard can get just a couple of more wins he could give the inconsistent clubs below the Toffees too much to do.
Chris McKenna
Watford, Burnley, Norwich
Everton have given the bottom three hope of escape but I think they’ll have just enough to get away and Those currently in the drop zone will go down.
Tony Banks
Norwich, Burnley, Everton
Can't see any way out for Norwich at the moment, and it looks like Burnley's luck might have run out, despite that recent little burst. Only three wins so far is not good enough, and though they have a lot of games against teams around them, at the moment they are not even winning those.
The final battle will be between Everton and Watford. Roy Hodgson will keep the Hornets going, and Frank Lampard's side have a ferociously hard run in, with games against West Ham, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. Roy might just do it.
Simon Mullock
Norwich, Watford, Burnley
Burnley's games in hand give them a glimmer of hope but I think the bottom three have given themselves just too much to do to find an escape route.
Leeds have picked up precious points recently and Everton have enough quality and a hostile crowd at Goodison to stay up.
Neil McLeman
Norwich, Watford, Everton.
Frank Lampard’s side have two games in hand and are four points clear of Burnley but Everton, who posted horrific off–field losses this week, will slide deeper into trouble by losing their next two away games at West Ham and then Turf Moor. And they still have to play Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea before the end of the season and will be relegated for the first time since 1951.
