Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are in a fierce battle for Premier League survival, with Forest suffering their second major injury setback this week ahead of their trip to Sunderland on Friday night.
Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and West Ham are battling to avoid the final bottom three spot after the relegations of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley were confirmed this week.
Leeds extended their gap over 18th-placed Spurs to nine points with their 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Wednesday night, which also took them to the magic 40-point mark.
Daniel Farke's side will hope that's enough to keep them above the three teams below them.
Forest have boosted their own survival chances with seven points from the last nine available, beating Tottenham and Burnley, as well as drawing away at fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Vitor Pereira's side can extend their gap above the drop zone to eight points if they can win at the Stadium of Light, but they will have to do it without Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a quadriceps muscle injury.
The winger isn't the only key man set to miss the trip north though.
Murillo Could Miss Forest's Next Two Matches
Murillo has established himself as one of Forest's best players in recent seasons, but the club has confirmed he will definitely miss the clash against Regis Le Bris' men on Friday night with an unidentified muscle injury.
The 23-year-old was forced off during the first half of the 4-1 win against Burnley on Sunday with the issue, with the first update on his condition revealed on Thursday.
The Brazilian is also unlikely to be fit for the first-leg of their Europa League semi-final tie with Premier League rivals Aston Villa at the City Ground next Thursday.
Pereira does believe he will return before the end of the season however, although it remains to be seen whether that will be in time for Forest's next league game after Sunderland against Chelsea on May 4.
Forest missing such a key player in their backline is definitely a boost for Tottenham and West Ham, who will be doing everything to try and finish above the Midlands club in the next few weeks.
Who Could Replace Murillo?
Fortunately for Pereira, while they may not be quite at the same level as the consistent Murillo, the Portuguese boss does have some options to fill the void left by the South American at the Stadium of Light.
The Athletic claim that Jair Cunha is the most likely replacement for the Brazilian, although Pereira also has other options too in Morato and Zach Abbott.
With Tottenham travelling to already-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, still looking for their first league win of 2026, it feels like a pivotal weekend in the relegation fight.
Forest will hope that they can do enough without some key players on Wearside to pick up at least one point, but if they get all three it would surely push them close to survival given they'd be on 39 points.