Cardiff and Brighton lock horns tonight in a key basement battle.
And while the pressure is well and truly off Newcastle after their resounding win against Leicester on Saturday , they’ll have to wait a few more days before they’re mathematically assured of another season in the Premier League.
Both of tonight’s relegation battle combatants have games in hand over Newcastle: the Seagulls have six matches left to play and a possible 18 points to play for while Cardiff have five (and 15 points up for grabs).
So if Cardiff lose tonight, Newcastle can officially secure survival on Saturday with a win over Southampton. If they lose or draw, they would then need Cardiff to lose to Liverpool on Sunday to make it mathematically certain that they remain in the top flight.
If Cardiff win, the gap would shrink to seven points (although it is eight in reality) and the Bluebirds would still have 12 points to play for. If that happens and Newcastle win on Saturday, they would be assured of survival if Cardiff fail to win on Sunday against the Reds.
If Newcastle lost to Saints , it’d be at least a fortnight for United to guarantee survival.
Either way, there shouldn’t be too many worries on Tyneside. Over the past 22 seasons, the average number of points required to stay up has been 35.8 points. The last time a Premier League club needed 39 points to stay up was in 2011 – but it’s highly unlikely Cardiff, looking at their remaining fixtures, will overhaul Newcastle.
And even if they do, Brighton would also need to do that and given their form that is even more unlikely.
Newcastle United skipper Jamaal Lascelles one of the best in Europe in key defensive stat
