With the Premier League title and top-four races having been effectively wrapped up for some time, it has been the bottom of the table which has been delivering the drama.
Sunderland and Leicester City have both played their roles in a fascinating relegation fight which takes centre stage this weekend as they clash at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland
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It is often said that luck goes against a team that is battling away at the wrong end of the table. Sunderland learned to their benefit last weekend that that is not always the case.
Two deflected goals, one of which could have been ruled out for handball against Jermain Defoe, gave the Black Cats a 2-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park in Saturday's lunchtime kickoff.
Sunderland's afternoon would continue to get better as Hull City lost at home to Burnley and fierce rivals Newcastle United could only draw to West Bromwich Albion, leaving Dick Advocaat and his men two points clear of trouble.
That is not a big enough cushion for the Wearsiders to be comfortable yet. They have the momentum on their side at present, but that can quickly be taken away as they finish their season with trips to Arsenal and Chelsea - the former of which is their game in hand next Wednesday.
Those ominous final fixtures make their showdown with the Foxes even more important - a genuine six-pointer for the Black Cats if not quite for their opponents. Victory and a Hull defeat at Tottenham Hotspur would see them safe.
Guiding the club to safety would be the perfect audition for Advocaat should he hope to earn himself a long-term contract at the Stadium of Light.
The 67-year-old, never relegated during his 35-year managerial career, thinks that Sunderland should be in the other half of the Premier League, but must keep them in it first.
Recent form: LWLDWW
Leicester
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The Foxes have rewritten Premier League rules over the last couple of months to put themselves in a good position to achieve the greatest of escapes - 15th in the table and three points clear of the relegation zone.
Only one side who has been bottom of the table at Christmas, and no team which has had Leicester's 19-point mark or fewer after 29 games, has previously survived the drop.
Many had claimed that Leicester were better than their end-of-March position implied, and that only a significant amount of misfortune had left them in such dire straits.
City's luck has certainly changed in recent weeks. Their 2-0 triumph over Southampton, in which Riyad Mahrez scored both of the goals, was their sixth win in seven games. One more this weekend could secure their top-flight status.
The Midlands outfit are now three points clear of 18th-placed Hull, for whom failure to win at Spurs coupled with victory for Leicester on Wearside would see Nigel Pearson's men safe by 5pm on Saturday.
Leicester's final game is at home to already-relegated Queens Park Rangers - a handy fallback should they need it - but Pearson and his boys will be in such a buoyant mood that they will hope to have things done and dusted before then.
Recent form: WWWLWW
Team News
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Neither manager will rush into changes considering that each side enters the game on the back of successive wins.
However, Pearson will be forced into at least one alteration after learning that Matty James will miss up to nine months because of a knee ligament injury. Andy King is also sidelined and therefore Danny Drinkwater should start in midfield.
Leonardo Ulloa is a minor doubt after picking up a knock against the Saints, with alternative David Nugent also facing a late fitness test. Whoever partners Jamie Vardy up top will be support by last week's hero Mahrez.
Club captain John O'Shea and Jack Rodwell seem likely to sit out the remainder of Sunderland's run-in along with Ricky Alvarez and Emmanuele Giaccherini.
Advocaat could stick with the same side, playing Defoe and Connor Wickham out wide to accommodate them in a forward three alongside Danny Graham, who broke his two-year Sunderland duck against Everton.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Pantilimon; Jones, Coates, Brown, Van Aanholt; Cattermole, Larsson, Gomez; Wickham, Defoe, Graham
Leicester possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Wasilewski, Morgan, Huth; Albrighton, Drinkwater, Cambiasso, Schlupp; Mahrez; Vardy, Ulloa
Head To Head
Leicester have not beaten Sunderland in six attempts nor on any of their last five visits to the Stadium of Light.
Their last victory over the Black Cats came in the 2001-02 Premier League season as Ade Akinbiyi scored the only goal of the game at Filbert Street.
November's goalless stalemate between the sides was one of Sunderland's 15 draws this season - seven of which have been by a 0-0 scoreline.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Sunderland 1-2 Leicester
While Sunderland have sneaked past Southampton and Everton, there has been nothing unconvincing about Leicester's recent form. Should they continue in the same vein, expect them to pick up a massive win and leave Sunderland fans biting their nails.
Joe Fish
