Either Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham will be relegated from the Premier League this weekend, joining Burnley and Wolves in the Championship next season.
The Premier League relegation battle has gone down to the wire. On Sunday afternoon, either Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham will be relegated from the English top-flight, joining Burnley and Wolves in the Championship next season.
Just two points separate the Lilywhites from Nuno Espirito Santo's side in the bottom three, leaving it all to play for this weekend. Spurs will host Everton, while the Hammers lock horns with Leeds United at the London Stadium.
Tottenham will hope to return to winning ways following a disappointing defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Had the Lilywhites salvaged a draw, they would have all but escaped the drop, forcing West Ham to beat Daniel Farke's side and make up a 12-goal difference.
But Enzo Fernandez fired the Blues to victory, keeping their hopes of qualifying for either the Europa League or Conference League alive. The Hammers were let off the hook, having lost to Newcastle United a few days prior.
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So, this weekend, Spurs must beat Everton to ensure they remain in the Premier League. A draw, however, would mathematically guarantee safety so long as West Ham do not beat Leeds by a goal difference of at least 12.
Even if Tottenham lose on Sunday afternoon, they will stay in the English top-flight if Nuno's side draw or lose to the West Yorkshire outfit. Speaking to reporters at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, Roberto De Zerbi quickly turned his attention to the relegation showdown.
"My focus is to prepare for the next game and to make points," said the Spurs boss. "Because Sunday is the final for Tottenham, not Bilbao against Man United.
"The most important game is Sunday, because last season they played for the trophy, now we play for something more important than the trophy. Because the pride, the history of the club, the dignity are more important than the trophy.
"The trophy you can win, you can lose; nothing changes in your life. You can have one trophy more, but the most important is to keep the dignity, to keep the pride, to go on holiday like this [head up], and not like this [head down]."
On whether the players understand the magnitude of the situation, De Zerbi said: "Very well."
When asked how he knew that, the Italian replied: "Because I’m living just for Tottenham. I have lived the last 45 days just for one thing. Tottenham and for my players, and I know them very well.
"Then we can make differences because not everyone is like their team-mate because the character, the level of passion, the level of personality is different because the people are different.
"But every one of them they are focused on the target. They are working hard during the week, and every one of us wants to achieve the goal."