With the final international break of the season complete, attention turns to domestic action once again, with title races and European places battles heading down to the wire. But whilst action at the top of the major league tables is as enthralling as usual, the events unfolding at other end across the continent are proving to be equally exciting, with some massive teams looking in big trouble of relegation.

Of course, much discourse has been around Tottenham’s precarious precision in the Premier League, with the London side currently only 1 point away from the drop zone, but there is renewed confidence in the club following the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi, as he takes the helm following Igor Tudor’s torrid reign. Whether or not the Italian can keep them up, and not clash with a pretty combustible squad, remains to be seen, but around Europe, other big sides are teetering on the edge on relegation, with some in serious danger of being relegated. With that in mind, lets explore which staples of the European game could be playing in the second tier next season.

Sevilla

It is crazy to think that 10 years after a spell that saw them win 3 Europe Leagues in a row, and be ranked as one of Spain’s best sides, that Sevilla would be only 2 points above the drop zone and facing major financial punishments from the Spanish FA. But following 2 years where the board has seen losses of up to 81 million Euros, the fans attack the team bus and LaLiga impose a salary cap on them, the side now sit in real danger of relegation, relying on loan gambles and young players to keep them in the division. Their misery was perhaps epitomised last weekend though, as they travelled to fellow relegation strugglers Real Oviedo, in a match that could have seen them pull away from danger, under new manager Luis García Plaza, who replaced Matias Almeyda at the end of March. What happened though was far from ideal for the Seville outfit, as they went behind to the bottom placed side just after the half hour mark, and then were reduced to 10 men following Tanguy Nianzou’s straight red card. The match ended in a 1-0 loss for them, and most damning of all, saw them record no shots on target across the 90 minutes. Plaza’s side also have to play both Madrid sides still this season, but both at home, and will hope they can garner some support from their fans at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan to carry them across the line and keep them up.

Who will they be turning too to keep them afloat though, as mentioned, a toxic atmosphere and financial punishments imposed on them has meant their recruitment has been hampered, with the club turning to less ordinary signings to try and keep them up. The side have scored 37 goals this season, which is the most of any side amongst the bottom 13 sides, but their forward line hasn’t exactly been firing. Veteran Alexis Sanchez is continuing his farewell tour of Europe, but at 37 has only played limited minutes, and despite his tenacity and passion not wavering, he has only managed 3 goals and 1 assist all season. Their main outlet has been Nigerian Talent Akor Adams, who joined from Montpellier for 4 millions pounds last summer, he has put up 7 goals and 3 assists in the league and is one other teams will be looking at, should the side go down.

Their inability to keep goals out though has been a major issue for the side though, with them conceding 50 times already, the joint most in the competition alongside 19^th placed Levante. In the sticks, minutes have been split between veterans Odysseas Vlachodimos and Orjan Nyland, who will both be familiar names to fans of the English game, but neither have really showed their class enough to cement a concrete spot. They have also struggled with getting a consistent back line together. Since the turn of the year the side has been marred with red cards and injuries, with the side picking up 4 sending’s off and suspensions since January. Experienced signings they would have hoped to see them stay clear of danger have also not worked out. 36-year-old Cesar Azpilicueta joined from Atletico Madrid to try and instil some quality and experience but has only been fit to play 1000 minutes (he used to average ~4000 in his time at Chelsea) and talented midfielder Djibril Sow was acquired from Frankfurt to add quality to the centre of the park, but has only been available periodically, meaning he has found it hard to put a good run of form together.

With 8 games left to save themselves, Sevilla do face a difficult run of form, in which they have to play plenty of sides with aims of titles and European spots, including Real, Atletico, Celta, Villareal and Sociedad. The club will need to lean on their 4 games at home to try and save themselves, but know they only have to outrun Elche in 18^th, though as poor form continues, so does the bad atmosphere around the team, with fans becoming increasingly discontent. Of all the sides on this list, Sevilla are at real threat of dropping into the second tier, but I think if they can eek out a few draws and hope Adams continues to chip in with goals, they will be safe.

Wolfsburg

Already on their 3^rd manager of the season, 1 win since the 20^th December, and 6 points from safety, the north German club are currently in real danger of playing in the Bundesliga 2 next season, and if their form doesn’t improve soon to even clinch a space in the relegation playoff, it could be a very real possibility. Whilst they have struggled in the league in recent history previously though, avoiding the drop via the playoff in both 2017 and 2018, the fear around the club has not been as prevalent as now, with fans at their wits end. This manifested itself at the end of their big relegation clash with Hamburg just before the international break, as they lost 2-1 at home, prompting the players to clash amongst themselves and fans to throw smoke on the pitch, as well as put up a banner reading ‘chance wasted, support withdrawn’ as they condemned then head coach Daniel Bauer. New man Dieter Hecking is now in charge, though, but is yet to win in any of his first 3 games, and despite going three one up against Champions League chasing Bayer Leverkusen, ultimately succumbed to a humiliating 6-3 loss, following a second half capitulation, in which they conceded 16 shots in 45 minutes. Their fixture list is far from favourable too, but with a trip to 16^th placed St Pauli on the final day of the season, they will want to pick up as many points as possible before that, to ensure they are still in with a chance ahead of their trip to the Millerntor-Stadion.

What has surprised many with the sides performances though, is the quality spread throughout the squad, as following a busy summer window, they were being touted to be well clear of the position they find themselves in. Talented Algerian Mohamed Amoura had his loan from USG made permanent, but whilst recording 8 goals and 3 assists, he has not been able to replicate his fine form in Belgian, or even that of last season in Germany during his loan spell and has been criticised for not being clinical enough, missing 10 big chances. Talented Dane Jesper Lindstrom also joined on loan from Napoli, and whilst having not hit the highs of his form at Frankfurt, he has featured prominently for both the Italian side and at Everton, but hasn’t scored a goal since 2023 and has only played 11 times this season. Fellow Dane Christian Eriksen also joined following his Manchester United contract expiring, and has produced 3 goals and 6 assist this season, but at 34, he has been unable to hit the heights prior to his collapse at Euro 2021, and has been unable to keep the club afloat.

Many of the issues have come from players who have been at the club for multiple seasons though, as fans feel a lack of effort has been exerted from those who should be familiar with the team. Talented Croation Lovro Majer has been at the side since 2024 but has been no where near the form he showed in Croatia and at Rennes, and has only created 6 big chances all season in 25 games. Wing back Joakim Maehle was part of some of the great Atalanta sides, but moved to Germany in 2023, and in a season marred with injuries has been unable to replicate his great attacking form of previous seasons. Attacking Austrian Patrick Wimmer has also been at the club since 2022, but has been unable to consistently chip in with goals, and has mustered 3 all season, a career low for him when his side needs him the most.

Ultimately, the club may need to turn to Wolfsburg ever present Maximillian Arnold, who has kept his usual high standards, to help them once more. But with the upcoming games looking difficult and Hecking yet to prove himself, the future looks dark for the side that has never been relegated from the Bundesliga. They will need at least 4 points and to beat St Pauli on the final day to even make the playoffs, but after flirting with relegation for so long over the least decade, I think this year may be the year they finally drop down.

Fiorentina

An upturn in form means La Viola are in a better position than of I had written this a month ago (or in December when they were previously discussed), but the side that in the last 4 seasons has reached 3 cup finals (all be it losing all of them) are still in the midst of a huge relegation fight. The Tuscan side spent much of the first half of the season sat at the bottom of Serie A but have seen an improvement, with just one defeat In 7 games, but with a woefully underperforming attack, and Paulo Vaoli’s future still in question, the Florence outfit are still being questioned and will try to navigate a difficult end to the Serie A season, and a UECL Quarter final against Crystal Palace in their efforts to stay up.

As mentioned, their attack not performing anywhere near well enough has hurt the side massively. They actually boast the 5^th best XG in the league, but have only scored the 11^th most goals, as star striker Moise Kean has found it hard to replicate his excellent form of last year, which saw him establish himself as Italy’s starting number nine. The former Juventus and Everton striker only has 8 league goals this season, and has missed a whopping 25 big chances, as he has contributed to the failing attack. The side are also now without the experience of World Cup bound Edin Dzeko, who left for Schalke in January, and whilst he wasn’t exactly prolific in Italy, his presence and experience have been a big loss, with those that aren’t normally relied upon for goals having to step up to the plate to assist with their survival efforts.

In midfield though things have been slightly better than in the forward line. Despite a slow start to the season, star signing from Juventus Nicolo Fagioli, has seen a massive improvement in recent weeks, as he scored a crucial goal in their big clash away at Verona. At the start of the season, he was often employed in a double pivot, which didn’t allow him to make the most of his box crashing skills, and highlighted his defensive weaknesses, as his poor tackle and interceptions stats were often a point of discourse. But recently, following the moving away from its flailing 3-5-2 to a 4-3-3, Fagioli has seen more support in midfield, and has shown more assured performances, including in a 1-1 draw at home to Inter and in the aforementioned clash in Verona. Talent Rolando Mandragora has also benefited from the change of shape, and has actually been the consistent light throughout the poor season. He has followed up his last campaign that saw him get 9 goals and six assists with 7 goals and 3 assist so far this year, and will hope that his current calf injury won’t hamper him too much, as La Viola will look to the likes of him, Fagioli and Icelandic winger Albert Gudmundsson to power the side even further clear of relegation.

Overall, Fiorentina are certainly in a more promising position than the others on this list, and with their own fans condemning them to a campaign in Serie B next season before Christmas, their upturn in form has been remarkable. With their position certainly looking more promisingly after their win over Hellas Verona. But, they are the only side still contending with Europe fixtures, which could complicate their survival efforts, and with big games still to play with a squad not built for this type of fight, the future is uncertain, bit I tip La Viola to stay up, and maybe even reach another Conference League Final.

Legia Warsaw

For years, Legia were seen as the benchmark for Polish football, both domestically and on the continent. For many, they were the recognisable club from the Ekstraklasa, and have had some great players go through their ranks. But the side who won the league most recently as of 2021, currently sit 15th and clear of relegation by only goal difference. Of all the sides on this list, they have seen perhaps the biggest downfall, with one of Poland’s great clubs on the cusp of dropping into the second tier.

The drop off didn’t just start this season though, as despite appearances in both Europa competitions in the last 3 years, including a conference league round of 16 tie versus Chelsea, the club has been in decline since its last league win. In 2017, Dariusz Mioduski took full control of the club, and whilst the start of his reign saw success, the latter half of it has been marred by poor managerial appointments, winless spells breaking unwanted records, and sales causing upsets with the fans. The first real warning came in 21/22 where they dropped to 10th the year after winning the league, and went through 3 managers in the process, alongside a spell of 7 straight defeats. Since then, Mioduski has often changed the first team coach, leading to calls of incompetence from the board by the fans as new managers were seen as short term fixes or wrong fits for the club’s culture. Ultimately, 5 years of poor management has culminated in their current position, adrift from relegation from now, but hanging precariously in the balance.

Despite the side picking up form recently, although so have their relegation rivals Widzew Łódź and Arka Gdynia, they have been touted to continue to fail to move away from relegation, with them (like others on this list) not having a squad well equipped to battle their current predicament. No player has scored more than 6 league goals in their 27 games this season, with former Watford man Mileta Rajkovic at the top of their scoring charts. He has also missed 13 big chances though, double his goal tally, as Legioniści have struggled to find the target. They have also lacked any real quality in big games, as shown by their limp conference league display this season where they existed with only 6 points and failed to make the playoffs. Under Mioduski the club has been known for selling its best assets, including most recently Ernest Muci to Besiktas, as the club has failed to replicate its previous domination of the Ekstraklasa.

The club has 7 games left to not only save their season, but also their status as one of Poland’s elites, and will be looking toward their clash with Widzew at home on the 01/05/2026 as a huge relegation 6 pointer ( or mecz o sześć punktów in Polish). To put their possible drop into context though, the Ekstraklasa has seen some shock relegations in previous seasons too, and this years campaign has seen the league be as close as ever, with an enthralling title race unfolding at the top end too, so Legia current circumstances are not coming as big a shock to natives as it perhaps might be for less clued up fans. Ultimately, I think they will carry on their good firm that has seen them unbeaten in 5 games to stay up. But the issues are way bigger than just this season, and the club will need to take a strong look internally before they find themselves fighting at the top again.

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