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So much attention is given to the top end of the Premier League that it is easy to ignore the battle brewing at the bottom.
For any of the teams who sit below 12th in the table, dropping out of the division and into the Championship remains a realistic prospect with just nine games of the campaign to go.
There is a gap of only three points between 19th and 13th, a figure that could quite easily be overhauled with the right run of results.
Only one side really seems nailed on for a place in the second tier next campaign. For the rest of those outside the elite, the future is not certain.
Who has the biggest problems to overcome? What has their recent form been like? And how tough are their games?
Sportsmail has analysed the teams battling relegation and taken a look at what they will be confronted with between now and the end of the campaign.
Swansea have been superb since Carlos Carvalhal came into the club. They have only lost one of their last 10 fixtures in all competitions, including wins over Liverpool and Arsenal in that time. They also pulled off a 4-1 win against fellow battlers West Ham in their last match.
Not many, as it stands. Carvalhal has improved the team by switching to a three-man defence and a five-man midfield. Ki Seung-Yeung, underused under Paul Clement, is now a key man.
And the Ayew brothers are an effective front two, utilising pace and technical brilliance. They have started putting away goals too.
David Moyes managed to get a real bounce out of West Ham when he first came into the club, primarily by tightening up a completely disorganised team. But they have dropped off considerably since and have only won one of their last five matches in the Premier League. Their last two games have been 4-1 defeats, most damagingly against Swansea.
West Ham lost Andre Ayew to Swansea on deadline day and only replaced him with Jordan Hugill, who has failed to make an impression since stepping up from the Championship. That element of solidity is also no longer enough to see them overcome teams — they have, to an extent, been found out.
After a very difficult mid-season patch, Huddersfield have hit a seam of form at what might be the right time. They have won two of their last four, and, importantly, those victories have come against teams they will be battling with come May. They still have a problem against the big six, as evidenced by their simple loss at Spurs last weekend.
In terms of the players available to him, David Wagner will be relatively happy. Aside from one — Aaron Mooy. The Australian is arguably the Terriers’ most important player and has been out for the last few weeks. There is a positive there though. He should be fit for this weekend’s game against Swansea. That will be a massive boost.
Newcastle have only lost one of their last five games, but they have only won one as well. It’s a natural side effect of how they set up under Rafa Benitez, who would rather take a point than nothing. But the draw with Bournemouth was definitely a blow, having been two goals up only to collapse late on. They could do with a win to shake off those particular cobwebs.
The fact they are not bottom of the league speaks for how impressive this campaign has been by Benitez. His squad are quite simply of a Championship standard. There are a couple of standouts but Newcastle have not had the necessary investment at any point to keep them in the top flight. And Islam Slimani’s ongoing injury problems are a blow — his availability could have helped them a lot.
Southampton have only won one of their last five matches and, frankly, given that was against West Brom, it should barely count. They have not been good enough at any point this season under Mauricio Pellegrino, but they have not been bad enough to get the manager canned. That might be a problem in itself — there has been no push to take them past the mediocrity since the first ball was kicked.
Where do you start? They are lacking goals. Their defence has been irrevocably weakened by the departure of Virgil van Dijk. Too many of their players are operating at the same iffy level. Fraser Forster has been bad. Guido Carrillo, the big January signing from Monaco, is yet to score. Mario Lemina, a significant arrival in the summer, has only created seven chances and provided no assists. There are huge issues.
The Eagles have not won since January 13 and missed an incredible opportunity to when they were two goals up against Manchester United on Monday. They lost 3-2 in the last minute. Their initial burst under Roy Hodgson has faded off and they need to turn it around soon if they want to avoid the drop.
Christian Benteke has only scored two goals all season. Alexander Sorloth has not bagged since joining from Midtjylland in January. Wilfried Zaha, easily the best player outside of the top six, is injured. All three of those are issues, most importantly the last one. With Zaha, Palace play. Without him, they do not. But he could return for the game against Chelsea at the weekend. And that would be a major boost for Hodgson.
Stoke, like Palace, have not won since January and are struggling to find anything resembling form. Admittedly, they have not lost in three and have definitely become more difficult to play against under Paul Lambert. Still, they have lost 14 of their 29 games and are struggling to overcome their diabolical start to the campaign.
There’s not much about the side. Xherdan Shaqiri is a star but undoubtedly not the same player the club thought they had signed when he joined. Jese Rodriguez has not had much of an impact since his move in the summer. They lack options up front, to the extent that Peter Crouch is probably their best option. They are, at the least, much harder to break down.
West Brom have only won three Premier League games all season. They last won on January 13. Before that, you’d have to go back to the second week of the campaign to see when they picked up three points. They have lost every single one of their last five matches. Whatever it is they say about form and class, this West Brom vintage have neither.
There are discipline problems, as evidenced by the story involving the taxi. There are dressing room ructions. Their defence has significant issues. Their midfield is far too easily overrun. Salomon Rondon scores nowhere near enough goals for a striker of his ability. Jay Rodriguez is still finding his feet after a long time out. Alan Pardew has also failed to inspire any sort of bounce. The real question is not where are the problems, but where aren’t they?
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hours to go, 
“We are ready to compete in what will be a really difficult game.”
