The three-way battle to avoid relegation could be decided this weekend - but both Luton Town and Burnley will be hoping to take Nottingham Forest to a dramatic last-day scenario.
Forest sit one place outside the relegation zone, three points clear of Luton and five ahead of Burnley, who occupy 19th spot, with bottom club Sheffield United's demotion confirmed. Forest also have by far the best goal difference, of -18.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
A crucial 3-1 win at Sheff Utd on Saturday, coupled with Luton's 1-1 home draw with Everton and Burnley's 4-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United, meant Forest have their fate in their own hands heading into the final two matches of the 2023/24 season.
Relegation rivals' remaining fixtures
What can happen on Saturday?
Burnley must win at Spurs otherwise they are down, while Luton must not lose at West Ham because their goal difference is significantly inferior to Forest's.
If Forest beat Chelsea, Burnley's relegation will be confirmed whatever their result at Spurs. Luton will need to have already won at West Ham to avoid joining them, but even then, they will need a miraculous combination of results on the final day to overhaul Forest.
What Forest need to stay up
For Forest, the mathematics are quite simple - get four points from their two remaining matches at home to Chelsea and at Burnley and neither Luton nor Burnley can match their points tally.
Indeed, if Luton lose at West Ham United and Burnley fail to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the Saturday 15:00 BST matches, Forest know a point v Chelsea in the 17:30 match will keep them up.
If Luton fail to beat West Ham, Forest need only to record a victory over in-form Chelsea to confirm the two promoted sides' relegation.
What Luton need to stay up
- Make a four-point gain on Forest (or a three-point gain with a significant swing in goal difference), so win their final two matches and hope Forest win at most a point from their matches with Chelsea and Burnley.
What Burnley need to stay up
- Win both their final two matches at Spurs and at home to Forest.
- Hope Forest lose to Chelsea (a draw would mathematically keep their hopes alive but would require a massive swing in goal difference).
- Hope Luton do not claim more than three points from their two remaining matches.
Final-day showdown?
A win for Burnley at Spurs, coupled with defeats for both Forest and Luton this Saturday, would ensure a final-day winner-takes-all showdown between Burnley and Nott'm Forest at Turf Moor.
Burnley would not only need to beat Forest but also hope that Luton lose to Fulham.