The 201718 Premier League campaign is well and truly underway but we have already seen a few shock results. Burnley, notoriously poor travellers last season, are unbeaten in three away trips to Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool – picking up five points from a possible nine.

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Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez has waved his magic wand and newly promoted Newcastle United are fourth in the table. Yes, that’s right – fourth. Magpies fans, you’ve had an excellent start to the campaign but don’t be hasty, I wouldn’t be preparing for away trips to Barcelona, Milan and Munich just yet...

While Newcastle and Burnley may end up in the relegation scrap, they will not be included in this article at the present moment. For now, I’m focusing purely on those who look like dropping down to the second tier on current form.

CRYSTAL PALACE

As mentioned by 888sport writer Sam Cox, Frank de Boer was the early favourite to become the first managerial casualty of the campaign and the Dutchman was relieved of his duties after just four Premier League games in charge.

With Roy Hodgson now at the helm, Palace showed glimpses of improvement against Southampton but the same glaring problems – particularly in attack – continue to haunt the Eagles.

Unsurprisingly, Palace are favourites to suffer relegation at 17/20. Hodgson failed to inspire confidence as England manager at the European Championships last summer and it is hard to put too much faith in the new Eagles boss.

The Selhurst Park faithful will be praying that Hodgson can mastermind a mid-season revival but this Palace squad is in dire need of a lift ahead of a tricky run of fixtures. It is probably going to get worse before it gets better...

Odds: 17/20

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

It looked for all the world as though Brighton were going to snatch a crucial victory at Bournemouth on Friday but the Cherries scored two late goals to hand Chris Hughton’s side another Premier League defeat.

Brighton are currently 16^th in the table having picked up four points from a possible 15 and, like most newly promoted clubs, their home form will be crucial to surviving in England’s top flight this season.

Worryingly, the Seagulls have only managed to score four goals so far this season; and three of those came in Brighton’s victory over West Bromwich Albion. Signing a proven Premier League striker in January should be Hughton’s main priority.

Despite their already precarious position, Brighton are a 21/20 shot to go down this season and punters will expect the Seagulls to struggle. Hughton will be confident but Brighton may struggle to avoid the drop when the going gets tough.

Odds: 21/20

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

Huddersfield fans were in dreamland on the opening weekend. David Wagner’s men were rampant when beating Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park before securing another victory over Newcastle.

But since then, it has all gone pear-shaped for the newly promoted outfit. The Terriers may be sixth in the table but you could argue that they are yet to face a top half side. In time, Huddersfield will have a blip.

Next month, Wagner’s side will face Manchester United and Liverpool before clashes with Manchester City and Arsenal in November. A heavy defeat or two might affect confidence going into the busy festive period; Huddersfield will be wary of this.

Backed by many to finish rock bottom with an unwanted Premier League record for the lowest number of points, Huddersfield have already shown what they are capable of. But maintaining this level of effort over the course of the season could be a stretch too far...

Odds: 6/4

 

BOURNEMOUTH

Friday night’s victory over Brighton was massive for Eddie Howe. Pressure was starting to grow on his shoulders but Jermain Defoe’s late winner should help to put an end to any immediate murmurs of unrest on the terraces.

Bournemouth have been poor so far this season. Sluggish in possession and unreliable in defence, the Cherries will now look to build on that victory as they look to maintain their top flight status.

Fixtures against fellow strugglers Everton and Leicester await and Bournemouth will expect to pick up at least three points from those two fixtures. Howe’s squad is rather limited but he still has that unique ability to get the most out of his players.

November will be key to Bournemouth’s Premier League aspirations. The Cherries will take on Newcastle, Huddersfield, Swansea and Burnley – four relegation rivals. A positive run of results could see Howe’s men pull away from the pack...

Odds: 2/1

SWANSEA CITY

Swansea are now regarded as an established Premier League club but that could all change this season. The Jacks have struggled to put a run of form together in recent years and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the Welsh side involved in a scrap.

After picking up a draw against Tottenham at Wembley, this may seem harsh but Paul Clement’s side deserve to be included in the relegation battle. Having picked up just five points so far, Swansea are in real need of a lift.

With fixtures against Watford, West Ham and Huddersfield before a difficult month or so, it is imperative that the Welsh outfit get points on the board. Building momentum could make all the difference come the end of May.

At the time of writing, Swansea are 11/5 to fall into England’s second tier. If Renato Sanches and Wilfried Bony struggle to gel and adjust to life at the Liberty Stadium, the Swans could be in trouble after losing chief playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson this summer.

Odds: 11/5

The main similarity between these two teams in the past 12 months has been changing stadia. West Ham’s controversial move to the London Stadium became an excuse, and attracted attention.

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Spurs’ departure from White Hart Lane was not overblown in the same way, but the speculation over their fortunes at Wembley has been vast.

This clash is not under the arch of the national stadium. It is in the once-Olympic arena and is a match that could prove fatal for Slaven Bilic, who remains favourite to leave his post.

The former Croatia boss continues to teeter on the brink of the sack with the Hammers, and his side have taken a mere four points from their opening five league matches.

It’s hardly been a flying start to the season for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, either.

Draws with Swansea and Burnley have blighted their campaign to date, and rotation has taken away the balance from a side that was a well-oiled machine for the majority of the last campaign.

In one of the league’s bitterest rivalries, this match – even before October has begun – is significant in the seasons of both.

The importance to the fans is always great, but this has implications for both beyond the geographical dislike.

Bilic’s line-ups this season have done more than raise eyebrows. People have probably fainted when they saw Javier Hernandez begin on the flank. With Marko Arnautovic back in action – and having played in midweek – we surely won’t see that again.

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Michail Antonio is the Irons’ best outlet against this Spurs defence, who should find any aerial bombardment angled towards Andy Carroll easier than most.

West Ham have been dysfunctional in possession this season. Their wing-back duo of Aaron Cresswell and Pablo Zabaleta will hardly trouble Serge Aurier and Ben Davies.

Fancy a Spurs clean sheet? You can back West Ham to struggle in front of goal at 29/20 - Tottenham have kept three clean sheets from their previous five matches.  

The aforementioned Spurs wing-backs will make a colossal difference from their match with Swansea. Not to mention that West Ham are not set up for that sort of rearguard display.

The width of Aurier and Davies gives Spurs a different dimension and enables performances similar to their best of the last two seasons.

It does mean that Heung-min Son will likely miss out, but the versatile forward could make all the difference from the bench. The Premier League betting markets for this weekend's fixture show Son at 23/5 - a decent price despite his slow start to the season.

Spurs’ Wembley woes have not impacted them on the road. Their 2-0 and 3-0 victories away at Newcastle and Everton respectively show just that.

Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane tormented Everton, and could do the same at the London Stadium. The Hammers’ recent improvement is yet to be tested against a top seven side.

Spurs made tough work of Barnsley in midweek, but that fearsome front three will have a new lease of life with the return of two wing-backs in their natural positions.

In a match where the Lilywhites will dominate the ball, it could be worth looking at a few card bets for the hosts. West Ham have picked up nine yellows – only three teams have more – and a red so far this season.

Zabaleta has four yellows already this season, and could be caught out of position in transition making him a worthwhile bet in 888sport's Premier League markets at 7/4.

PREDICTION: West Ham United 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Priced at 7/1 with 888sport)