Leicester City have given them a glimmer of hope with five games to go – but it will test their mental strength

Two months into the season, it’s hard to predict exactly which teams will be in the relegation battle.

Leicester City, especially if hit with a points deduction, are expected to be one of the teams in the fight for survival. And if you had to guess who else will be there with them, most would name the sides they face in their last five games.

For example, the bookies have City as favorites to go down. But they also have Wolves, Southampton, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich making up four of the five teams most likely to compete at the bottom with them. They happen to be four of City’s last five opponents.

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So on paper, as it always does at this stage, the final month of the season looks huge for City. Bournemouth aren’t exactly safe from the drop zone either. There is a real possibility that all of City’s last five games will be six points.

There are two ways to look at these games. They could serve as a beacon of hope. Even if City struggle desperately until the final month of the campaign, and even if they struggle in March and April when they face Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, they will know they have winnable games to finish. They will know they have more opportunities to take points, inflict defeats on their relegated rivals and save themselves.

But equally, the approach of the programs to the end of the campaign changes them. When relegation is felt and the pressure mounts, matches become psychological tests as much as battles of quality and tactics.

When they were relegated, City had far more quality in their squad than Everton and Leeds. But they faced both in the final weeks of the season and drew each time. A win in either game would have kept him up.

Results like these, relegation as a whole, failure to finish in the top four in 2020 and 2021 and even the desperate run of late winter and early spring last season mean that City mentality and psychological strength have often come through. in discussion. That they bounced back from their poor run to still win the championship probably suggests they are stronger in that regard than they were when they slumped last season.

But that race will really be a test of their mettle. Each game could feel make or break. City will need to show their technical, tactical and psychological strengths to successfully go through and potentially win a second consecutive season in the Premier League.

Where do you think City will finish? Let us know in the comments section below.