Tottenham Hotspur will have spent a week inside the bottom three of the Premier League before they kick off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Roberto De Zerbi is Spurs' third manager of the season. His reign began with a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland last week and the pressure will be on when he faces one of his former employers on Saturday, April 19.
The Seagulls have improved themselves in recent weeks and they come into this game having won their last three league games and winning four out of their last five.
When the sides met earlier in the season, back in September, it ended in a 2-2 draw.
The side from the south coast are currently ninth in the table and have ambitions of securing European football once again. It will not be an easy game for Spurs but it is a challenge that they have to rise to due to the games running out.
Now or never?
There may be a feeling for Spurs that it is a case of now or never in terms of the time they have to save their Premier League status.
They have not won a league game since the end of December and it is now mid April.
Some may say there is little to suggest that they are going to win this game but there has to be a belief that they can turn it around still.
Notably, Spurs play before their rivals this weekend with Nottingham Forest and West Ham not playing until Sunday and Monday.
Therefore, it is a chance for Spurs to put the pressure on their rivals if they can get a win.
A draw, although an improvement on what has gone before, would not be enough for Spurs. They need wins and there will now be an urgency around the situation.
Although they travel to the league's bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers next week and will be expected to win that one, there may likely be a feeling that the results have to come this week.
It may only take one win to provide the boost but it has been a long time without one.
The psychological factor of being in the bottom three?
The challenge now is that Spurs have dropped into the relegation zone, after West Ham won last week, and they missed the chance to climb out immediately by winning at Sunderland.
They will have spent a week in the drop zone and the pressure is on them to get the results required to climb out.
If they win the game then they give them a chance of getting out but they have to do their job.
Throughout the early months of 2026, Spurs had a four point lead over the sides below them but that has soon evaporated. They are now the ones doing the chasing, as opposed to being chased.
Their rivals are picking up points at a far better rate than them and would appear to have much more confidence.
Spurs need a reaction and De Zerbi will want to see something from his side.
The worry would be that, unlike Nottingham Forest for example, many of the Spurs players do not have experience of a relegation battle.
Home form needs to improve
In their last home game, Spurs lost 3-0 to Forest and that was a disappointing day for everyone associated with the club.
Before that match there was the feeling of a cup final and the supporters of the north London side greeted their team bus to stadium and backed their side ahead of the kick-off.
Throughout the second half, many supporters headed for the exits early and that has been the case in recent home fixtures.
That is partly because they have only won two home league games all season, against Burnley and Brentford.
The only point they have achieved at home in 2026 came in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City.
There has been very little for fans to cheer. However, things need to change and Saturday's game will provide an opportunity for change.
There are plenty of key games to come but their next home fixture after this one is against fellow potential relegation rivals Leeds United.
They have to make the stadium an intimidating place for opponents to come.
On what could be a decisive final day of the season, De Zerbi's side are also at home to Everton so they will want to make that an advantage and not a hindrance.
Another injury
Spurs have experienced an injury crisis throughout this season and parts of last season too.
De Zerbi will not use this as an excuse and the previous managers did not either.
However, the latest blow to the side is that their captain Cristian Romero left the pitch last week at the Stadium of Light with an injury and has since been ruled out for the rest of the season.
It is the latest addition to a lengthy injury list and the timing is inevitably frustrating for the player and the club.
However, the club will have to adapt and find a solution.
The game on Saturday, April 19 will likely attract a significant amount of attention from fans of all clubs as Spurs' struggles have been one of the stories of the season.
They have a chance to quieten some of the noise with a win against Brighton.
There can be no excuses as the time to deliver has to be now.
If they were to lose again and their rivals then pick up points then De Zerbi would have a real challenge ahead of him.