Premier League relegation battle: Race for survival as Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Luton bid to beat drop
Sheffield United's immediate return to the Championship was confirmed a fortnight ago, but who will join the Blades in being relegated from the Premier League?
Only once before since the inaugural season in 1992 have all three promoted teams gone straight back down again. During the 1997/98 campaign, newcomers Barnsley, Bolton and Crystal Palace were all relegated.
But we could be about to see that happen for a second time in the Premier League's 32nd season with Luton Town and Burnley joining Sheffield United in the bottom three.
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Only Nottingham Forest in 17th place can be caught after Everton guaranteed their Premier League status with victory over Brentford last month.
There is the mouthwatering prospect of Forest needing to go to Turf Moor on the final day of the season needing a result to stay up at Burnley's expense - but there is also a scenario whereby the relegation spots could be settled this weekend.
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Mno Sports takes a look at the picture down at the bottom heading into the final two game weeks of the season.
Nottingham Forest (17th, 29 points)
Forest's two-season stay in the top flight hangs in the balance after they lost their appeal this week against a four-point deduction for breaching the league's financial rules.
They sit three points above the drop zone after last week's win at Sheffield United and will guarantee survival with victory at the City Ground over Chelsea, if Luton fail to win. A draw would almost certainly be enough if both Luton and Burnley fail to win due to Forest's superior goal difference.
Nottingham Forest's remaining fixtures
May 11: Chelsea (H) - Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Mno Sports
May 19: Burnley (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4pm
Luton (18th, 26 points)
The Hatters, third from bottom, lost crucial ground on Forest last week after being held 1-1 at home against Everton and are three points adrift with a far inferior goal difference.
Victory at the London Stadium on Saturday against West Ham would lift them level with Forest if Nuno Espirito Santos's side lose, while a point for the Hatters could also take the survival race down to the wire as they battle to extend their top-flight stay beyond a single season.
Luton's remaining fixtures
May 11: West Ham (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 19: Fulham (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4pm
Burnley (19th, 24 points)
Burnley's 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle last Saturday has left them in the most precarious position of the three as they sit five points from safety with a goal difference that is 17 worse than Forest's.
The Clarets must win in the capital against Tottenham. Spurs are aiming to avoid a fifth straight league defeat - and hope Chelsea win at the City Ground, but even victory for Vincent Kompany's side will not be enough if Forest avoid defeat.
Burnley's remaining fixtures
May 11: Tottenham (A) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 19: Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League, kick-off 4pm
What happened to Forest's appeal against their point-deduction?
Forest's challenge against a four-point penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules was rejected this week, with the club's lawyers criticised by an appeal board for their "microscopic forensic examination" of the wording in the original decision.
An independent commission docked Forest four points in March for exceeding permitted losses under top-flight profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) for the period up to the end of the 2022-23 season by £34.5million.
Forest appealed against that sanction, arguing that the commission made a mistake in not treating the sale of Brennan Johnson to Tottenham on transfer deadline day last summer as mitigation.
The club also argued a further mistake was made by the commission in failing to wholly or partially suspend the sanction.
However, an appeal board announced on Tuesday that the original commission was "entitled and right" to reach the decision it did, and took aim at the approach taken to the appeal by Forest.
"Some of the criticisms of the (original) decision have involved a minute examination of the words used by the commission," the appeal board said.
"Decisions such as these should not be subjected to microscopic forensic examination and interpreted as if they were statutes which have been drafted by Parliamentary Counsel.
"Allegations of infelicities of language or errors which are not material to the ultimate decision add to the complexity and costs of proceedings and are rarely likely to lead to a successful challenge of a decision."
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