Eddie Howe makes Premier League relegation prediction as Newcastle United battle Leeds, Everton, Burnley & others for survival

Newcastle United’s fight for Premier League safety will go to the wire, head coach Eddie Howe believes.

A six-game unbeaten run for the Magpies - including three wins and three draws - has lifted the club out of the relegation zone.

Following Saturday’s 1-1 draw at West Ham, United briefly opened up a five-point advantage over the bottom three but some results elsewhere soon went against them.

Watford beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park at the weekend, while Burnley have claimed back-to-back wins versus Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur.

The gap has now been reduced to two points, where defeat at Brentford tomorrow could see Howe’s side fall back into the drop zone if Burnley win at Crystal Palace.

It just goes to show the many twists and turns that lie ahead in the battle for top-flight survival, and that is precisely why Howe is tipping the race to go to the wire.

‘It’s going to go to the wire’ - Howe

“There was no surprise in Burnley’s result for me,” Howe said after the Clarets beat Spurs on Wednesday night. “They’re a team that will never give up and no team down the bottom will give up.

“It’s going to go right to the end of the season. The relegation battle and fight to stay in the league, I think, will go to the wire.

“From our side, we have to take care of our own business and that is consistently winning games or getting points and trying to elevate ourselves away from danger.

“If we think it’s going to be given to us by the other teams, that’s absolutely not going to happen.

“This is the hardest league in the world for a reason. We have to fight for every point.

“Our destiny is still in our own hands and that’s where we want it and that’s where we have to do our business.

“Looking at league tables and predicting results, which I understand pundits and supporters will do, but when you’re in my shoes, it’s irrelevant.”

Which teams are in the Premier League relegation battle?

Howe was asked this question at Friday’s press conference but said it was “irrelevant” at this stage of the season with 14 games remaining.

But a glance at the Premier League table suggests any team from 11th-20th is still at risk of falling into the Championship.

No one is predicting Crystal Palace (29), Leicester City (27) and Aston Villa (27) to drop but a few bad results, coupled with a few good results for the teams below them, could imdeed drag the trio into it.

Newcastle (22) can leapfrog Brentford (24), who are winless in eight matches, with three points at the Brentford Community Stadium into 14th.

Meanwhile, Leeds (23) and Everton (22), currently outside the relegation zone, are two of the most out of form sides. Burnley (20) and Watford (18) and Norwich City (17) are the current bottom three.