Everything you need to know about the Premier League Relegation battle

Swans and Saints and Terriers, oh my! Here’s a look inside the Premier League’s relegation battle as we head into the final week of the season. 

First, let’s take a look at what the Premier League‘s relegation zone currently looks like:

                                                        Matches Remaining                Points               G/D

15. West Ham                                              2                                        38                  -22

16. Huddersfield                                          2                                        36                 -29

17. Southampton                                         2                                        33                 -19

18. Swansea City                                         2                                         33                 -26

19. West Brom                                             1                                        31                  -23

20. Stoke City                                               1                                         30                 -34

Stoke City is officially relegated, and West Brom, while still alive, would need nothing short of a miracle to stay up, so I’ll be focusing on the four other teams in danger of being relegated as we head into the final week of the season.

Starting at the top, West Ham needs just one point from their final two matches to book their spot in the Premier League next season, but it won’t be an easy task, as they still have to play Manchester United and Everton.

Seeing as how they only need one point though (or even just some dropped points from below), West Ham is virtually safe, especially considering the fact that United and Everton have nothing left to play for.

Next up is Huddersfield. While they have an advantage in the points column, their remaining schedule isn’t doing them any favors, as they have to run the gauntlet in order to stay alive. They got a crucial point from Manchester City this weekend, but still have to play both Chelsea and Arsenal in their final 2 matches.

Drawing against a disinterested City team that wrapped up the title weeks ago is one thing, but Chelsea are still looking to move up into a Champions League spot, and Arsenal will obviously be putting it all on the line for Arsene Wenger’s final game. Unfortunately for Huddersfield, I don’t see them gaining any more points this season, and they’ll have to hope that 36 ends up being enough.

This is where things get really interesting. The most important match of the relegation battle will take place on Tuesday, as it features both Southampton and Swansea, and the result will be critical in determining both teams’ statuses for next season.

A win for either side would put them in prime position to stay up, but a draw would benefit Swansea much more than Southampton. If both teams head into Sunday with 34 points, Swansea has a much better chance at getting a result against Stoke than Southampton do against Manchester City.

You could say that Tuesday’s clash will likely be a season-defining moment for the Saints that will test their ability to step up when they absolutely need to.

If I was a betting man, I’d say that this match ends in a draw. I would also think that Swansea would be able to beat Stoke, putting them ahead of Huddersfield. This would mean that Southampton would need a win against Man City on the final day to stay up, and I just don’t see that happening.

Next: Five things we learned from May's El Clasico fixture

So as of right now, it looks like Southampton are most likely to join West Brom and Stoke in the Championship next season, but the picture will look a lot clearer after Tuesday’s match. Anything can happen, and I’m just excited to watch it all unfold.