The permutations in battle for promotion and relegation

Promotion and relegation issues at stake this weekend

Watford’s relegation from the Premier League could be confirmed this weekend while the League Two promotion picture and Championship play-offs will be decided.

Here we take a look at the promotion and relegation issues at stake in the weekend’s football fixtures.

Premier League

Norwich are down and Watford will follow barring a perfect set of results the rest of the way. Manager Roy Hodgson admitted this week the Hornets are “basically relegated” and, lying 12 points adrift with four games to play, they need to win all four and hope either Burnley or Leeds lose all of theirs.

They play Hodgson’s former club Crystal Palace on Saturday and will be relegated unless they win – and even then, confirmation could come on Sunday with any two of an Everton win at Leicester or points for Leeds, at Arsenal, or Burnley who play Aston Villa on Saturday.

The title race has a way to run, with Manchester City just a point ahead of Liverpool. Those two teams are secure in the Champions League places but third and fourth will remain up for grabs beyond the weekend.

Championship

Only the play-off places remain to be sorted on the final day in the second tier, with Fulham confirmed as champions and Bournemouth promoted.

Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield will finish third and fourth, with Town needing a better result against Bristol City than Forest manage at Hull to jump to third.