‘We have to take it on the chin’

Strugglers Norwich could be down and out

THE Premier League’s bottom club Norwich City could have their relegation confirmed as soon as tomorrow when they open the next round of fixtures against West Ham United.

Norwich suffered a sixth consecutive loss on Tuesday in a 2-1 defeat to Watford and one more against the Hammers will send them back to the second-tier Championship.

“We’ve made big mistakes,” goalkeeper Tim Krul said.

“I think everyone, not just one person, we need to all look in the mirror. We just have to take it on the chin. We don’t want this season to fizzle out, we need some reaction, but it’s really hard.”

West Ham are not out of the relegation fight either, sitting just four points clear of the drop zone in 16th on 31 points after Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Burnley.

“Every game is a must-win and that’s the way you look at it when you’re in this situation,” said West Ham coach David Moyes.

“I don’t think any of the teams at the bottom have got as many points as they’d have liked.

“That could change at any minute.” Aston Villa and Bournemouth, who sit 18th and 19th on 27 points each, were due to play last night and return on Sunday when Villa host Crystal Palace and Bournemouth take on fourth-placed Leicester City.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe helped the club rise from the fourth tier League Two to the top tier from 2009-2015, but he has seen his fair share of relegation scraps since joining the richest football league.

“You look back through previous seasons where we’ve just kept our heads above the line in the Premier League and it’s always been quite tight, and they’ve been pivotal moments,” Howe told Sky Sports.

“The last run of results has been really difficult to take and our character has been tested to the absolute maximum.

“I’m hoping to see the benefits in the next few games.”

Champions Liverpool will look to continue their hunt for Premier League records when they host Burnley tomorrow.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have 92 points after a 3-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion, and nine more will surpass the 100-point best set by Manchester City two seasons ago.

“When I think about the next four opponents and think we will get 12, 10 or whatever points, I never did that. I can’t do that,” said Klopp when asked about the record points tally.

“We play against Burnley, who are a result-machine. I couldn’t respect more what they are doing. They will come to us and will fight with all they have so that is what we have to do.”

In tomorrow’s other games, Watford host Newcastle United, third-placed Chelsea face Sheffield United and Manchester City travel to Brighton.

On Sunday, it’s the north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will hope to improve his goal tally for the top scorer gong of the Premier League’s golden boot.

Aubameyang scored his 20th goal of the season on Tuesday in the 1-1 draw with Leicester and two more will bring him level with Leicester’s leading man Jamie Vardy.

“We need to try and put as much firepower in the team as possible without losing our balance,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

“Aubameyang is scoring a lot of goals, he’s done it all his career.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers host Everton to complete the Sunday line-up before Manchester United welcome Southampton on Monday.