With West Ham United having already disappeared through the trapdoor, the identity of the two clubs who will join them in the Championship looks destined to go down to the final kick of the season.
Along with Blackpool, whose first season in the top flight since 1971 has been a white-knuckle ride worthy of the town's famous rollercoasters, Wigan Athletic, Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers all enter the final round of fixtures with safety tantalisingly in sight but also staring into the abyss.
Victory for either will guarantee another season reaping the rich harvest available for those lucky members of the world's most lucrative domestic league.
For Blackpool, however, the situation is more complicated. With 53 goals and manager Ian Holloway's weekly monologues a TV producer's dream, the Tangerines have added a huge dollop of colour to the Premier League.
Birmingham City (39), whose joy at winning the League Cup Final against Arsenal a few weeks ago has been replaced by fear, are potentially the most vulnerable with their form and confidence shot to pieces after last week's 3-0 defat by Fulham.
"They will be relieved if we lose and get relegated," Holloway told a news conference. "Then I am not badgering them. I am so annoyed.
"Sir Alex Ferguson is a winner. He would never dream of not being interested in winning any match.
"Look at his record. Those people running the game, what planet are they on? They must have beamed down from planet Zarf. They are not in the right world.
"They think we can only beat Manchester United if they are weak. What a load of baloney. Unfortunately, that is what we are dealing with."
