There are 20 teams in the EPL. Every season, the last three teams get relegated to the championship. Three top teams from the championship are promoted to replace them. There are eight (8) Nigerian super eagles players playing currently in the EPL. It is however very sad to know that only one of these players is not having any relegation concerns as the season rounds up with three(3) more matches remaining to be played by most of the teams in the EPL. The Nigerian Super Eagles stars in the EPL are Onyeka Frank(Brentford), Onuachu Paul (Southampton), Aribo Joe (Southampton), Iheanacho Kelechi (Leicester), Ndidi Wilfred (Leicester), Awoniyi Taiwo (Nottingham), Dennis Emmanuel (Nottingham) and Iwobi Alex (Everton). Below is a breakdown of what lies ahead for these players.
Southampton (Joe Aribo and Onuachu Paul)
Two Nigerian super eagles players play for Southampton. At the moment, they are at the bottom of the EPL table and they are looking more likely to remain there. They have a total of 24pts, have scored 31goals all season and have conceded 64 goals. They have 3 games more to play and a possible 9pts to play for. They will need to do the impossible to avoid relegation. They need to win their three remaining matches to achieve this. That means defeating teams such as Fulham, Brighton and Liverpool. If they achieve this feat, they will be hoping Everton, Leicester and Leeds don’t add points to their tally.
Verdict: This may sound harsh but it seems Southampton can’t escape the drop this season. It will be so sad to see stars such as Joe Aribo and Onuachu Paul go down with the club to the championship. Nevertheless, it will be exciting to see them bounce back to the premiership next season.
Leicester (Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi)
Leicester City have scored 49 goals so far this season. They have more goals than other teams in the second half of the EPL table. They score in most of their matches but somehow still lose or draw those matches. Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi are the Nigerian stars playing for Leicester. They have three more games to play with 9pts at stake. They will be up against teams such as Liverpool, Newcastle and West Ham. They are currently 18th on the log with 30pts in total.
Verdict: Leicester need at least 6pts to survive relegation. It will indeed be a big ask of these players as they are up against teams fighting for the top four slots. Leicester will most likely be relegated as they may not be able to get more than 3pts from their remaining fixtures.
Everton (Alex Iwobi)
Everton defeated Brighton (5:1) to stay 2pts up from the drop zone. All they have to do to avoid relegation, is to get as much points as those below them in the table on each matchday, and they will survive. They survived last season under the same circumstance. The club hierarchy will have to do more in the transfer market to avoid this same scenario next season as they have the capacity to be among the top 8 teams every season based on their history and financial prowess.
Verdict: Alex Iwobi survived with this team last season. A repeat of his individual brilliance against Brighton in their remaining games could help them avoid relegation. Everton will survive. They may not win the match against Manchester City, but they can try to win some points in their last two matches against Wolves and Bournemouth to stay afloat.
Nottingham (Awoniyi Taiwo and Dennis Emmanuel)
Nottingham are really fighting back to stay afloat. They have won two of their previous three games. They clearly do not want to leave top flight football just yet after only one season. Taiwo Awoniyi will be hoping to play a major role in making his team survive relegation.
Verdict: Nottingham will survive relegation. They have very tough opponents in Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. They may not win their remaining games but need to pick some points from draws in one or two of those games to survive.
Whatever happens, some of the Nigerian players mentioned above won’t survive this relegation battle. We only hope they bounce back stronger next season or leave to join better teams in the next transfer window.
Content created and supplied by: Ballbasketricket (via Opera News )
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