Field narrows to six teams in Premier League’s relegation race

Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho is an injury doubt for Monday’s clash with Everton.

The math is changing in the scramble to avoid relegation from the Premier League, writes Associated Press.

From an unlikely nine-team scrap at the end of March, the field looks to have slimmed to six candidates with a month to go in the season. And one of them already appears doomed.

Southampton’s 11-year stay in the top division looks like ending, with the team having plunged to last place and six points adrift of safety after collecting only three points from its last eight games.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton and Bournemouth — all onto their second managers of the season — have found some form and results at the right time to seemingly pull clear of danger.

It leaves five clubs likely battling to avoid the other two relegation spots alongside Southampton, and there are some big names in there.

Like Everton, a nine-time English champion, which has been in the top division in its various guises since 1954.

Like Leicester, which was a league champion — at pre-season odds of 5,000-1 — just seven years ago.

Like West Ham, which has played in Europe for the past two seasons on the back on league finishes in sixth and seventh place.

Leeds and Nottingham Forest — historic clubs, who have fallen on hard times for much of this century — make up the quintet and, with their fanbases, won’t go quietly.

The state of play is this: Southampton has 24 points, four behind next-to-last Everton and five behind third-to-last Leicester. Nottingham Forest and Leeds are a point clear of the bottom three, and West Ham a further four points ahead, but with tough upcoming matches and involvement in the Europa Conference League to balance.

All have five games