According to Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce, north east rivals Newcastle pose a bigger threat to the Black Cats Premier League survival than 18th place Norwich.
The three teams are now locked in a battle to beat the drop, with two of them set for the drop to the Championship. Newcastle host Crystal Palace, before heading to bottom club and finished their campaign with a home game against high-flying Tottenham.
Those fixtures could be kind to the Magpies, as Palace have other priorities, Villa have been atrocious for most of the campaign and Tottenham are unlikely to still be chasing the Premier League title on the last day.
One of the advantages that Norwich and Sunderland have is the fact that they have a game in-hand on the Magpies, although Norwich does have to face Arsenal and Manchester United in their last four league games.
Sunderland face home games with Chelsea and Everton, after visiting Stoke on Saturday and finish the campaign with a visit to Watford. All four of Sunderland’s opponents have very little to play for this season and the Black Cats are already outside the relegation zone.
Norwich look to be in the most danger of the drop, as their form has been poor of late. The likes of Arsenal and Manchester United still have something to play for this season, as they battle it out for a Champions League spot.
The Canaries look favourites for the drop, but really who will join Aston Villa in the Championship next year is anybody’s guess at the moment.