While the title race tends to be the sexiest piece of the puzzle in the world of the Premier League, there’s always a great sense of intrigue with respect to the relegation battle. There are three designated spots that’ll be filled by the time we get round to May but until then, we’re going to speculate as to what chances the following six clubs have of avoiding the dreaded drop.

P.S: Yes, we do think Crystal Palace will be safe when it’s all said and done – but we’re happy to say “you told us so” if they do get relegated.

Watford

Watford sacking a manager this early on in the season should come as a surprise to precisely nobody and while Claudio Ranieri will forever be known and heralded as a fan favourite, it’s hard to picture him finding too much sustained success with the Hornets. They’ve got good individual players, but they really have to learn how to blend that into a cohesive style.

Leeds

The Marcelo Bielsa effect hasn’t been quite as useful in the first few games as it was just a matter of months ago with Leeds hoping to avoid the dreaded second season syndrome. They appear to have settled nicely into life back in the top flight but this is the campaign that is bound to test their resolve and show us what they’re truly made of.

Southampton

The big problem for Southampton is easily their lack of fire power and it’s something they’ll need to resolve if they’re going to continue on in this league. They’ve got a top manager in the form of Ralph Hasenhuttl who should be able to guide them through the fire, but a bad run of form and a few injuries could leave them in trouble.

Burnley

Burnley, under the tutelage and guidance of Sean Dyche, tend to have one style that rules all – and it’s pretty old school. It’s worked well for them up to this point but consistency is key and they just don’t have that in their arsenal right now. They need to think about dipping into the transfer market in January because if they don’t, they may finally fall.

Newcastle

If Newcastle United opt to keep Steve Bruce in a job then their chances of being relegated go up, and it really is that simple. This is a team that’s far too good to be in this kind of position but the fans are sick and tired and preaching that fact. They’ve been in the Championship a few times now over the last decade and they look set for another intense scrap to avoid a three-peat.

Norwich

Norwich City are too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League. That’s the evidence we’ve gathered and, up to this point, it’s holding up quite well. They just don’t have any answers to any of the problems put in front of them and they look destined to trade places with Fulham for the rest of time.

If you want to put some money down on who you think will either survive or drop down to the Championship, head on over to our betting page for more information!