West Ham United missed the chance to move two points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone on Sunday afternoon after a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Hammers currently sit 17th in the table after moving out of the bottom three with a point, but they only managed to do so on goal difference and with Bournemouth, Leeds United and Southampton all in action before the Hammers’ next league game on April 2.
With most teams having just 12 games left this season and some, only 11, things are really hotting up in the fight for survival, with only five points currently separating the bottom nine.
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Next up in the Premier League for West Ham is a home match against bottom side Southampton on April 2 but before then, the Hammers plays host to AEK Larnaca in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
Of sides currently in the bottom nine, with just five points separating 12th from 20th at present, West Ham have the fourth hardest fixtures in their next four games. Leicester City have the easiest next four fixtures of the current bottom nine, with their next four coming against sides sat between ninth and 18th.
Out of the current bottom nine, Everton (15th) have the hardest fixtures, with all of them coming against sides in the top half.
Here is a look at the current bottom nine’s next four fixtures and how they compare to the rest of the sides currently fighting to beat the drop.
12th Crystal Palace (P26 27pts)
15/03 Brighton and Hove Albion (A) - 7th
19/03 Arsenal (A) - 1st
01/04 Leicester City (H) - 16th
08/04 Leeds United (A) - 19th
Average position of next four opponents : 10.75 (third easiest)
13th Wolverhampton Wanderers (P27 27pts)
18/03 Leeds United (H) - 19th
01/04 Nottingham Forest (A) - 14th
08/04 Chelsea (H) - 10th
15/04 Brentford (H) - 9th
Average position of next four opponents : 10.5 (fourth easiest)
14th Nottingham Forest (P26 26pts)
17/03 Newcastle United (H) - 5th
01/04 Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) - 13th
04/04 Leeds United (A) - 19th
08/04 Aston Villa (A) - 11th
Average position of next four opponents : 12 (second easiest)
15th Everton (P27 25pts)
18/03 Chelsea (A) - 10th
03/04 Tottenham Hotspur (H) - 4th
08/04 Manchester United (A) - 3rd
15/04 Fulham (H) - 8th
Average position of next four opponents : 6.25 (hardest)
16th Leicester City (P26 24pts)
18/03 Brentford (A) - 9th
01/04 Crystal Palace (A) - 12th
04/04 Aston Villa (H) - 11th
18/04 Bournemouth (H) - 18th
Average position of next four opponents : 12.5 (easiest)
17th West Ham United (P26 24pts)
02/04 Southampton (H) - 20th
05/04 Newcastle United (H) - 5th
08/04 Fulham (A) - 8th
16/04 Arsenal (H) - 1st
Average position of next four opponents : 8.5 (fourth hardest)
18th Bournemouth (P26 24pts)
18/03 Aston Villa (A) - 11th
01/04 Fulham (H) - 8th
04/04 Brighton and Hove Albion (H) - 7th
08/04 Liverpool (H) - 6th
Average position of next four opponents : 8 (joint-second hardest)
19th Leeds United (P26 24pts)
18/03 Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) - 13th
01/04 Arsenal (A) - 1st
04/04 Nottingham Forest (H) - 14th
08/04 Crystal Palace (H) - 12th
Average position of next four opponents : 10 (middle)
20th Southampton (P26 23pts)
15/03 Brentford (H) - 9th
18/03 Tottenham Hotspur (H) - 4th
02/04 West Ham United (A) - 17th
09/04 Manchester City (H) - 2nd
Average position of next four opponents : 8 (joint-second hardest)
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