West Ham United are guaranteed to stay out of the relegation zone until next month at least after their 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.
The Hammers ended a run of seven straight league matches without a win at the weekend, with Jarrod Bowen scoring twice in seven minutes at the London Stadium to take the Hammers up to 16th, a point clear of the bottom three.
While they ended this month’s Premier League action with a win, they have a tough run next month, with their next three matches coming against Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur, after a trip to Derby County next Monday in the FA Cup.
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Despite that tough run, in their next four league games West Ham have only the third-hardest run of sides currently in the bottom eight.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently 17th, have the easiest run in the next four league games on paper, taking on 18th-placed Bournemouth and bottom of the table Southampton next month.
Leicester City, sat in 14th, have the toughest run, with their next four opponents averaging a league position of fifth. Three of their next opponents are Tottenham, Manchester United, and league leaders Arsenal.
Here is a look at the current bottom eight’s next four fixtures and how they compare to the rest of the sides currently fighting to beat the drop.
13th Nottingham Forest (P20 21pts)
05/02 Leeds United (H) - 15th
11/02 Fulham (A) - 7th
18/02 Manchester City (H) - 2nd
25/02 West Ham United (A) - 16th
Average position of next four opponents: 10 (joint-third easiest)
14th Leicester City (P20, 18pts)
04/02 Aston Villa (A) - 11th
11/02 Tottenham Hotspur (H) - 5th
19/02 Manchester United (A) - 4th
25/02 Arsenal (H) - 1st
Average position of next four opponents: 5.25 (hardest)
15th Leeds United (P19 18pts)
05/02 Nottingham Forest (A) - 13th
08/02 Manchester United (A) - 4th
12/02 Manchester United (H) - 4th
18/02 Everton (A) - 19th
Average position of next four opponents: 10 (joint-third easiest)
16th West Ham United (P20 18pts)
04/02 Newcastle United (A) - 3rd
11/02 Chelsea (H) - 10th
19/02 Tottenham Hotspur (A) - 5th
25/02 Nottingham Forest (H) - 13th
Average position of next four opponents: 7.75 (third hardest)
17th Wolverhampton Wanderers (P20 17pts)
04/02 Liverpool (H) - 9th
11/02 Southampton (A) - 20th
18/02 Bournemouth (H) - 18th
24/02 Fulham (A) - 7th
Average position of next four opponents: 13.5 (easiest)
18th AFC Bournemouth (P20 17pts)
04/02 Brighton and Hove Albion (A) - 6th
11/02 Newcastle United (H) - 3rd
18/02 Wolverhampton Wanderers - 17th
25/02 Manchester City - 2nd
Average position of next four opponents: 7 (second hardest)
19th Everton (P17 15pts)
04/02 Arsenal (H) - 1st
13/02 Liverpool (A) - 9th
18/02 Leeds United (H) - 15th
25/02 - Aston Villa (H) - 11th
Average position of next four opponents: 9 (fourth hardest)
20th Southampton (P17 12pts)
04/02 Brentford (A) - 8th
11/02 Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) - 17th
18/02 Chelsea (A) - 10th
25/02 Leeds United (A) - 15th
Average position of next four opponents: 12.5 (second easiest)
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