West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are entering a life-and-death race in the last two rounds of the Premier League, as only one of the two teams can stay in the highest league in England next season.
After the latest round, Spurs ranked 17th with 38 points, 2 points more than West Ham. While Tottenham was held to a draw by Leeds United, West Ham lost to Arsenal in a controversial match due to VAR.
With Nottingham Forest and Leeds officially staying in the league, one of the two London representatives will definitely have to play in the Championship with Wolves and Burnley.
The remaining schedule is making the battle more tense. West Ham will be guests against Newcastle United before welcoming Leeds in the final round. Meanwhile, Tottenham must travel to Stamford Bridge to meet Chelsea and then return home to welcome Everton.
According to Opta's prediction model, Spurs currently have more chances of relegation. Tottenham is only rated at about 19.5% risk of relegation, while West Ham's probability is over 80%.
It is noteworthy that this situation has changed very strongly over time. In January, West Ham was once assessed to have nearly 90% risk of relegation after a 9-match winless streak. But Tottenham also pushed themselves into danger when experiencing a 15-match winless streak under Roberto De Zerbi.
However, head-to-head history brings opposite signals for both teams. West Ham often play quite well at St James' Park when winning two of their last four away games against Newcastle, including a 2-0 victory last season.
Meanwhile, Stamford Bridge is almost a "nightmare" for Tottenham. Spurs have only won once in 33 away games here in the Premier League era - a 3-1 victory since 2018.
Former legend Jamie Carragher believes Tottenham is facing a more difficult challenge: "Chelsea will be extremely determined to push Tottenham down.
However, Spurs can hope for Chelsea to be physically exhausted after the FA Cup final against Manchester City just 4 days earlier. Meanwhile, Newcastle almost has no more goals this season besides honor, which may bring some hope for West Ham.
Another factor that worries Tottenham fans is their poor home form. Spurs have gone through 10 consecutive winless matches at Tottenham Hotspur - their worst home streak since 1994.
Conversely, West Ham will play their last match of the season at home against Leeds - a team that has officially been relegated and no longer has too much motivation to play.
All of this makes the survival battle between the two London representatives extremely unpredictable in the last days of the season.
The pressure at this time comes not only from the rankings but also from the psychological factor. "The Spurs" were once 13 points ahead of the relegation group at one point, but a series of disastrous performances in the second half of the season put them in a dangerous situation.
Meanwhile, West Ham shows signs of revival under pressure, especially in big matches. If Spurs continue to drop points against Chelsea, the final match could completely become a real "relegation final" for both London teams.
