could an unthinkable Premier League relegation actually happen? Latest Opta prediction and vote

Tottenham Hotspur are in free fall - could an unthinkable Premier League relegation actually happen? Latest Opta prediction and vote

Tottenham Hotspur's slide has left them 17th in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone, with Opta giving them a one-in-four chance of going down. With seven games left and no win in 13, their survival hopes rest on a tense run-in against West Ham United, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. Could the unthinkable actually happen? Vote in our poll below.

Tottenham Hotspur x EFL Championship: a match that has only existed in the minds of the most imaginative of rival fans. Until now.

After a grim 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest before the international break, Spurs sit 17th in the Premier League table - one point above West Ham United in the drop zone.

With the club in free fall, and rumours swirling around interim manager Igor Tudor, the R-word is a serious possibility.

Opta give Spurs a 26.49% chance of going down. Anyone who watched the second half against Forest will be surprised it is not higher.

TeamPlayedPointsChance of relegation14. Crystal Palace30390.05% 15. Leeds31337.67%16. Nottingham Forest31328.49%17. Spurs313026.49% 18. West Ham312957.42%19. Burnley312099.93%20. Wolves311799.95%

With Crystal Palace essentially safe, and Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers doomed, it is one from four for the final relegation spot: Leeds v Forest v Spurs v West Ham.

Spurs are projected to finish on 38.44 points, with West Ham just behind on 36.97. But the sharp minds amongst you know that decimal points are impossible, so we need to dig a little deeper into the fixtures...

TeamPredicted pointsCrystal Palace47.97Leeds41.86Nottingham Forest40.98Spurs38.44West Ham36.97Burnley26.15Wolves24.98

Premier League relegation run-in

Spurs are winless in 13 league games (D5 L8), their worst run since 1935. Maintain anything close to that trajectory and they are destined for the drop.

The fixtures do not offer much comfort either. Based on last season's equivalent games, Spurs took just three points from five games (Sunderland and Leeds came up from the Championship).

They could even drop into the bottom three before kicking another ball.

West Ham host basement-dwellers Wolves on April 10. Win that, and Spurs would head to Sunderland two days later needing a result to climb back ahead.

Remaining fixtures:

West HamSpursForestLeedsWolves (h)Sunderland (a)Villa (h)Man Utd (a)Palace (a)Brighton (h)Burnley (h)Wolves (h)Everton (h)Wolves (a)Sunderland (a)Bournemouth (a)Brentford (a)Aston Villa (a)Chelsea (a)Burnley (h)Arsenal (h)Leeds (h)Newcastle (h)Spurs (a)Newcastle (a)Chelsea (a)Man Utd (a)Brighton (h)Leeds (h)Everton (h)Bournemouth (h)West Ham (a)

Spurs' home form is a major concern. They have the worst record in the league, with just two wins all season.

Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds and Everton all look winnable on paper - but on current evidence, no points are guaranteed.

Away from home, the results are quite palatable, albeit not since Tudor took charge. Trips to Sunderland, Aston Villa and Chelsea are huge tests, making the game at Wolves, themselves much-improved in recent weeks, pivotal.

The maddening part for Spurs fans is that they outplayed Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid at home in a thrilling last stand in the UEFA Champions League, only to capitulate against Forest in the same stadium four days later.

The level is obviously there, the UEFA Europa League win last season proves that, but the consistency has vanished.

No more European distractions should help - if, and it's a whopping if, they make the correct call around who guides them through the final seven games.

Still, West Ham may actually be in deeper trouble. Arsenal at home and Newcastle United away looks the most daunting double-header of all four teams in the scrap, meaning their margin for error is minimal. Fail to beat Wolves at the start of the run-in and it could quickly be curtains.

Leeds and Forest hold the advantage, with points on the board and out-of-form Burnley travelling to both clubs. Forest’s early May run - Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester United - looks brutal, though.

It could even come down to the final day, when Spurs host European-chasing Everton and West Ham take on Leeds. Spurs' fate may yet be decided over those final 90 minutes.

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