Things could soon turn sour in the Premier League for overperforming Cherries

It is so tight at the bottom of the Premier League that West Ham moved up from 17th to tenth in the table courtesy of Monday's 2-0 win over Bournemouth.

Just five points separate the Hammers from rock-bottom Nottingham Forest and a fascinating relegation scrap is in prospect with bet365 offering 11-4 about the team finishing 18th claiming 40 or more points. It is 1-4 that they end the campaign with 39 or fewer.

Fulham's impressive start has seen them pushed from pre-season quotes of 13-10 to 15-2 in the relegation market, and that leaves Forest and Bournemouth at the head of the market with Wolves, Leeds and Southampton also prominent in the betting.

Our panel of Racing Post football writers deliver their verdicts on which teams will finish the campaign in the bottom three:

Chris Rivers

Bournemouth are punching above their weight right now but the metrics of expected goals and points telling us they should be bottom of the pile.

The Cherries are starting to slip, though, and are fancied to prop up the division, just below a Nottingham Forest side who lack the firepower to climb out of the bottom three.

The final spot in the drop zone could be contested by Southampton and Wolves, with Wanderers' bit of extra quality and experience expected to make the difference - as long as they appoint a competent head coach soon.

Relegation selections
Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest
Southampton

Liam Flin

Bournemouth have steadied the ship in the last month but have drawn seven blanks in 12 league games this term and look prime candidates to finish bottom.

Nottingham Forest can make a decent fist of survival but I am still not convinced Steve Cooper knows quite how to get the best out of his new-look squad and their Premier League stay may be a brief one.

For the last spot I would opt for Leeds, who have not won a game since August and are starting to feel the impact of their major summer outgoings.

Relegation selections
Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest
Leeds

Ian Wilkerson

Despite their victory over Liverpool on Saturday, I still fear for Nottingham Forest as they haven’t got enough up front to be strong candidates to stay up.

The other two are a little further up the table. Bournemouth steadied the ship with a decent run after losing 9-0 at Anfield, but after two straight defeats, they have a lot of work to do. I fear their bubble may have burst.

Brentford would be in trouble if anything happened to Ivan Toney and four points from their next two games against Forest and Wolves look to be a must.

Relegation selections

Nottingham Forest
Bournemouth
Brentford

Steve Davies

The table is starting to sort itself out with Bournemouth beginning to slide and that will probably only end one way. I didn't fancy them at the off and still don't, whereas I thought Forest would do okay and stand by that.

Southampton look like a defensive calamity and that could easily be their downfall, while Wolves might get a new manager but it's a new striker or two they really need and even then they still look light.

Relegation selections

Bournemouth
Southampton
Wolves

James Milton

A slow start from Nottingham Forest is understandable considering their extraordinary influx of players over the summer but Forest are not adrift at the bottom and their win over Liverpool has provided a real confidence boost for the relegation favourites.

Bournemouth's mini-revival under Gary O'Neil has lost pace and a lack of goals is a major concern for the Cherries. The same applies to Wolves, whose performance in last weekend's 4-0 home defeat to Leicester suggests they may struggle to escape.

Leeds could fill the final relegation spot, having narrowly avoided the drop last season. A tally of nine points from 11 games is a poor effort given that they have played only four of the current top ten in the Premier League.

Relegation selections

Bournemouth
Wolves
Leeds

Aaron Ashley

Nottingham Forest’s summer spending splurge means manager Steve Cooper is still unsure of his strongest 11 and while improvement is possible, it makes decisions tough and they still appear to lack significant Premier League quality.

Bournemouth have made a solid start to the campaign but the data suggest they are getting the most out of their performances and back-to-back defeats against Southampton and West Ham hints that their bubble may have burst.

Leeds are taken to join those two. Time may be running out for Jesse Marsch at Elland Road and although his sacking could spark a revival, Leeds survived on only the final day last season and that was with Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips in their side.

Relegation selections

Nottingham Forest
Bournemouth
Leeds

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