21.   But Saints have never won the league title and spent almost the whole of last season striving to avoid relegation.

22.   But this season, the once-proud club is in disarray and fighting desperately to avoid relegation.

23.   Cellar-dwellar Moenchengladbach, scrapping to avoid relegation, had an unlikely hero in its draw with Stuttgart.

24.   Castleford Tigers will do well to avoid relegation and it is unlikely the Salford Reds will be challenging.

25.   Continuing its battle to avoid relegation for the first time, Coventry now faces leader Manchester United at Old Trafford where Atkinson spent four seasons as manager.

26.   Coventry hosts Blackburn in a vital clash as both teams battle to avoid relegation.

27.   Defender David Regis has one game left in France with Metz, which will try to avoid relegation when it plays last-place Lorient on Saturday.

28.   Doxa, desperately seeking a victory to avoid relegation, pushed hard but its players could not penetrate the sturdy AEK defense.

29.   English Premier League team West Ham, struggling to avoid relegation, is negotiating to land temperamental Barcelona forward Gheorghe Hagi.

30.   Everton, which fired Mike Walker in November and replaced him with Joe Royle, spent almost the entire season battling to avoid relegation.