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LONDON. — Aston Villa are going down and Watford, West Ham and Brighton and Hove Albion are staying in the English Premiership, that’s the verdict of the Sportsmail team.

A clearer picture will emerge this week in this tight relegation battle.

Villa have matches against Everton, Arsenal and West Ham.

“Of the five teams in danger, Aston Villa are the most in trouble. They are four outside of the drop zone with three games to play. Manager Dean Smith knows his side can’t afford not lose any more games from here on out,’’ the Daily Mail newspaper said.

“Along with Brighton they’ve had the roughest fixtures since the restart with games against Chelsea, Wolves, Liverpool and Manchester United all leading to defeat.

“They have managed to collect four points from their other two encounters against Newcastle and Crystal Palace though. The former was a 1-1 draw, while Villa recorded a much-needed 2-0 win over Palace on Sunday.

“It’s imperative that the Villains win one, if not both, of their next two games at Everton and at home to Arsenal if they are to stand any chance of survival.

“If they manage to do that then it could set up a winner-takes-all affair on the last day of the season at West Ham. It’s a big ask though — especially for a side with the second-worst defensive record in the league behind Norwich. Verdict – going down.’’

The newspaper believes Watford, West Ham and Brighton and Hove Albion will stay.

“A season of hope and expectation has turned into another underwhelming campaign at West Ham. The notion of their bubble flying high truly burst in late December when manager Manuel Pellegrini was sacked following a ninth loss in his previous 12 games.

“The Chilean left the club in 17th, one point above relegation, and fast-forward to now not much has changed. The club are 16th and just three points above the drop zone. Much-maligned former Hammers boss David Moyes is back in the hot-seat — a decision that remains mixed among supporters.

“West Ham lost their opening two games of the restart before a sublime 3-2 victory over bitter rivals Chelsea reinvigorated their campaign. They followed this up with a 2-2 draw at Newcastle and a 1-0 home defeat by Burnley before thrashing Norwich 4-0. Michail Antonio scored all four in a match that confirmed the Canaries’ relegation.

‘’Verdict — staying up.’’ — Mailonline.