Premier League relegation battle: Team news and updates as Leeds, Everton and Leicester fight for survival
The Premier League is set for a blockbuster final day as Everton, Leeds United and Leicester City all fight for a place in the top-flight next season.
The Toffees are in pole position to survive the drop, sitting 17th in the table with a two-point advantage over their relegation rivals. They face Bournemouth in this afternoon’s clash and with the Cherries already safe Everton have a strong chance of claiming victory.
Elsewhere, Leicester (18th) take on West Ham knowing that only three points - and an Everton loss - will be enough to keep them in the Premier League. The good news for Dean Smith’s side is that the Hammers are focused on their upcoming Europa Conference League final so may field a weakened team.
The final contender in this relegation battle is Leeds. They have arguably the most difficult challenge as they take on Tottenham. Home advantage can play it’s part and the Elland Road faithful will bring the noise. Like the Hammers, Leeds must win and hope Everton lose, the difference is that Spurs are also chasing three points as they have a chance to earn European football next season.
Follow all the action from the Premier League final day below and see which team avoids the drop:
Premier League relegation battle
The final 10 fixtures from the 2022/23 Premier League season kick off at 4.30pm
Everton, Leeds and Leicester are all fighting for survival
Leeds face Spurs, Everton take on Bournemouth and Leicester must beat West Ham
Leeds vs Tottenham
12:00 , Mike Jones
Can Leeds United pull off a shock and defeat Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the Premier League season?
That’s the only way Sam Allardyce’s men can make sure they avoid relegation to the Championship this year.
Fate is out of their hands in the battle for survival after a 1-1 draw with Leicester City last time out kept them inside the bottom three, two points behind 17th placed Everton.
To have any chance of remaining in the top-flight Leeds must win today and hope other results go in their favour.
Spurs will be difficult to beat though as they are still challenging for a place in Europe next season. They could nick a Europa Conference League spot away from Aston Villa if they earn all three points at Elland Road and no doubt Harry Kane will want to impress after rumours he could be leaving the club in the summer.
Dean Smith knows just how big an achievement keeping Leicester up will be
11:56 , Mike Jones
Leicester boss Dean Smith knows he will have fulfilled a “big ask” if he can guide his side to Premier League survival on Sunday.
The Foxes must beat West Ham at the King Power Stadium and hope Everton do not win against Bournemouth if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship.
Smith was parachuted into an eight-game SOS mission following Brendan Rodgers’ sacking at the beginning of April but has recorded just one victory from his first seven games and accepts that his side have not done as well as he thought they would.
Dean Smith knows just how big an achievement keeping Leicester up will be
Leicester vs West Ham team news and predicted line-ups
11:52 , Mike Jones
Kelechi Iheanacho, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Ricardo Pereira and Jonny Evans have all had limited playing time over recent weeks for Leicester but are expected to be available according to manager Dean Smith. Wilfred Ndidi is a doubt, while Caglar Soyuncu is out.
Nayef Aguerd is available for West Ham after returning to training on Friday. Emerson had a knock to his knee so will be assessed and Gianluca Scamacca still hasn’t recovered from a knee operation so won’t play a part in the game.
Predicted line-ups
Leicester XI: Iverson; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Thomas; Ndidi, Tielemans, Soumare; Maddison, Vardy, Barnes
West Ham XI: Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Fornals; Ings
Leicester vs West Ham
11:48 , Mike Jones
Leicester vs West Ham is due to kick off at 4.30pm BST on Sunday 28 May at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage on the channels from 3pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via Sky Go.
Leicester vs West Ham
11:44 , Mike Jones
How can Leicester earn Premier League survival?
Leicester could pull off a great escape on the final day of the Premier League season, but they will need to beat West Ham this afternoon.
Dean Smith’s side are currently 18th in the table and trail fellow relegation battlers Everton by two points. The best chance they have of staying in the top-flight is to pick up all three points and hope that Everton and Leeds fail to win.
David Moyes’s Irons have reached the Europa Conference League final and with their spot in the Premier League already secure, the manager may choose not to risk some of his key players this afternoon.
Can the Foxes sweep West Ham aside and avoid relegation?
Everton stare into the relegation abyss – a mess of their own making
11:40 , Mike Jones
If the first 11 have presented a problem, the greater warning came on page 11. Page 11, that is, of Everton’s annual financial report.
“Conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt about the group’s ability to continue as a going concern,” it read. Those conditions, in the curious way Everton phrased it, were “if the assumptions in the relegation scenario were not achieved”.
Their assumptions were that a storied club, founder members of the Football League and the club who have played more top-division games than any other in England, would stay up.
With one game to go, they are one place above the relegation zone, their fate in their hands but dicing with disaster. A win against Bournemouth will keep Everton up. Anything else would doom them if Leicester win; lose and Leeds would leapfrog Everton with a victory of their own.
Everton stare into the relegation abyss – a mess of their own making
Everton vs Bournemouth early team news and predicted line-ups
11:36 , Mike Jones
Sean Dyche confirmed that neither Nathan Patterson nor Dominic Calvert-Lewin would be fit to feature in the game in what is a big blow to Everton’s chances of staying up. Vitaly Mykolenko will be assessed before the game. Midfielder Amadou Onana is fit and in contention to play.
Philip Billing is fit to start for Bournemouth confirmed boss Gary O’Neil. Hamed Traore is a doubt but looks okay to play a part int he game and Joe Rothwell will be assessed.
Predicted line-ups
Everton XI: Pickford; McNeil, Mina, Tarkowski, Holgate; Gueye; Garner, Onana, Doucoure, Iwobi; Gray
Bournemouth XI: Neto; Smith, Senesi, Kelly, Vina; Cook, Lerma; Brooks, Billing, Christie; Solanke
How to watch Everton vs Bournemouth
11:31 , Mike Jones
Everton vs Bournemouth is due to kick off at 4.30pm BST on Sunday 28 May at Goodison Park in Merseryside.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage on the channels from 4pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via Sky Go.
Everton vs Bournemouth
11:26 , Mike Jones
What do Everton need to do to avoid the drop?
Sean Dyche’s face a nervous final day of the Premier League season but know that a victory over Bournemouth will be enough to keep them in the English top-flight for another season.
The Toffees come into the match sitting 17th in the table two points above Leicester City and Leeds United who could both leap above Sean Dyche’s men if they lose to the Cherries.
Everton will take heart from Bournemouth’s three most recent defeats, but they’ll need to perform in front of goal to keep fate in their hands.
Of the three teams fighting for survival Everton have the easiest match on paper with Leicester facing West Ham and Leeds taking on Tottenham. Can the Toffees get past Bournemouth and avoid relegation?
‘It is theatre’: Inside the emotional chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle
11:21 , Mike Jones
When players talk about the anguish of a final-day relegation battle, one of the main memories that most recall is the unsettling sense of quiet.
That isn’t when the final whistle goes, and reality sinks in. It is actually during the chaos, when something happens at another game, and the news seeps through to the crowd. The players realise something big has changed. It affects performance.
“The atmosphere and pressure is palpable,” says Gareth Farrelly, who was the decisive figure in one of the Premier League’s most famous final days 25 years ago.
This may yet be the decisive factor on Sunday...
‘It is theatre’: Inside the chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle
Premier League relegation battle
11:12 , Mike Jones
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the last day of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
The title has been won by Manchester City and the spots for the Champions and Europa Leagues have been secured but today’s action is set to be as exciting as ever with three sides fighting to survive as well as Aston Villa and Tottenham challenging for the only place in the Europa Conference League.
Everton, Leeds and Leicester are all in with a chance of remaining in the top-flight but only one of those three teams will end the day happy. The Toffees have the easiest job on paper but must defeat Bournemouth to ensure their survival, anything less and they would be at the mercy of other results.
Leicester meanwhile have to defeat West Ham. With Everton two points ahead of them in the table, the Foxes need to collect three points and hope Bournemouth at least force a draw from the Toffees.
Finally, Leeds take on Tottenham. Like Leicester, Leeds must win but they have to defeat a team also searching for three points as Spurs hope to leapfrog Aston Villa into seventh and claim a place in the Europa Conference League.
We’ll have all the team news, build-up and updates throughout the day ahead of the 4.30pm kick offs so stick with us for what should be an exciting conclusion to the Premier League season.
