The relegation battle this season is shaping up to be a hot one. There are a number of clubs in the mix for the drop, and whilst most people have Norwich City nailed on to go down, a lot can still happen, especially seeing as there are just three points between 15h placed Brighton and 19th placed Watford.
A lot has been made of the fact that West Ham have an incredibly tough run in their last 12 games, with games against Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United and Wolves still to come, but they’re not the only side with a hard set of fixtures.
The average league position of the club’s that West Ham have to face over their last 13 games is 10th, that number is the same for Watford, who lay one place below the Hammers, but for Norwich City and Brighton and Hove Albion the average placement of their opposition is 9th, whilst Aston Villa and Bournemouth face a tougher task, as the average placement of teams they have to play is 8th.
Those differentials could make a huge difference when the end of the season comes around, especially seeing as the Irons run of games sees them get the majority of their tough clashes out of the way early before a fairly easy run where they face the likes of Aston Villa, Norwich, Watford and Burnley as four of their last five games.
Whatever happens in the final few months of the season, the Hammers are desperate for survival, and we think they’ll manage it, owing to the fact that three or four wins in the final few games could be enough for this talented squad to pull themselves clear at the death.
Will we get a result at The Etihad?
Yes
No
David Moyes will know the fixtures that he can get results from, and whilst things won’t be easy for the Hammers, the fixtures show that they have one of the easier run-ins, despite an upcoming difficult spell in the next few matches, and the Stratford club should pull clear eventually.
