A look at the relegation battle as Burnley, Forest and Luton bid to beat drop

Football Mad -

Nottingham Forest, Luton and Burnley all have two games to play in their fight to retain Premier League status.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at their penultimate fixtures as they bid to avoid following relegated Sheffield United into the Sky Bet Championship.

Forest (17th, 29 points) v Chelsea

Forest’s two-season stay in the top flight hangs in the balance after they lost their appeal this week against a four-point deduction for breaching the league’s financial rules. They sit three points above the drop zone after last week’s win at Sheffield United and will guarantee survival with victory at the City Ground, if Luton fail to win. A draw would almost certainly be enough if both Luton and Burnley fail to win due to Forest’s superior goal difference.

West Ham v Luton (18th, 26 points)

The Hatters, third from bottom, lost crucial ground on Forest last week after being held 1-1 at home against Everton and are three points adrift with a far inferior goal difference. Victory at the London Stadium would lift them level with Forest if Nuno Espirito Santos’s side lose, while a point for the Hatters could also take the survival race down to the wire as they battle to extend their top-flight stay beyond a single season.

Tottenham v Burnley (19th, 24 points)

Vincent Kompany’s Burnley slipped closer to the drop after last week’s home defeat to Newcastle (Tim Markland/PA)

Burnley’s 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle last Saturday has left them in the most precarious position of the three as they sit five points from safety with a goal difference that is 17 worse than Forest’s. The Clarets must win in the capital – Tottenham are aiming to avoid a fifth straight league defeat – and hope Chelsea win at the City Ground, but even victory for Vincent Kompany’s side will not be enough if Forest avoid defeat.