With the final day of the Premier League season now on the horizon, it's time to ask who will beat the drop, who might lift the trophy and who will make the grade to strut their stuff in Europe next season.

For the eventual winners, it’s almost impossible to look beyond Chelsea. Despite a mild dip in form, they have been out of reach for most of the season, and deservedly so. Diego Costa has been consistent in front of goal, as well as managing to hold down a part time job at Gardies. He clicked instantly with Fabregas to propel Chelsea into an early lead, and a constant attacking threat has been sustained by Eden Hazard, the PFA Player of the Season. The likes of Matic and Terry have helped to make them formidable at the back, but it has really been a team effort - indeed there were six Chelsea players in the PFA Team of the Season. Barring an unprecedented end-of-season fall (they only need six points to win the League), Mourinho’s ‘little horse’ seems to have cleared all its hurdles.

Midway through the season, the top four seemed to be almost impossible to predict, as Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man Utd all battled for the last two spots. However, thanks to Liverpool and Tottenham becoming essentially useless, and Southampton inevitably dropping off, the top four seems relatively easy to predict. While a few weeks ago there may have been glimpses of a title challenge, let’s be honest: the idea that Man Utd and Arsenal are still in the title race is about as likely as a Liverpool fan not mentioning their ‘history’ in a Twitter argument. However, their places in the top four are pretty much secure. Perhaps Man City fans should be worried, as their previously dependable old guard seems to be crumbling. Despite this, they do have a wealth of quality that should see them through, and they aren’t having to resort to the likes of Soldado and Lambert just yet…

Before I make my predictions for relegation, I should add that I am emotionally invested in Leicester, but I will try to be impartial. That said, Leicester are staying up. Four wins on the bounce including a last-minute winner against West Brom should give confidence to a team that has consistently clung on in games all season, but have never quite had a lucky break – although it is clear they lack Premiership quality. If they had looked terrible all season a relegation would have been easier to accept; the hope they have gained towards the end of the season almost sets it up to end in tears. But in Nigel Pearson – despite his clear sociopathic tendencies – I trust. One of his former clubs, Hull, is going down. Sitting just one point above relegation, their fans should be worried. Their run is by far the worst out of any teams in the mix: Liverpool, Arsenal, Burnley, Spurs and Man Utd. Unless they can turn around their form, like those all around them, they are doomed. Just for their ‘mauled by the tigers’ chant and accompanying hand actions (for those who don’t know, you don’t want to), they deserve relegation.

Another team suffering terrible form is Sunderland. Apart from their now customary wins against Newcastle, they have been dire all season. Sunderland are a great club from a proud city, but their performances are undeserving of their support. The removal of Gus Poyet (as he was going slightly mad) seemed to offer them a lifeline, but nothing has changed. With tricky matches up ahead, I’m tipping them for the drop. QPR also seem set to go down. Fernandes has been spraying money around unfairly for too long now. Go back to the Championship and face your FFP sanctions. Weak all season, despite Chris Ramsey's best efforts, their difficult fixture list might prove fatal. I believe Burnley will stay up against the odds. They haven’t looked out of their depth this season and have looked promising in recent weeks. Maybe the Ginger Mourinho will match his Chelsea counterpart and achieve his season’s objectives.

Team of the Season: Southampton

I’m ashamed to say that at the start of the season I tipped Southampton to be in a relegation fight, largely on the grounds of their summer hemorrhaging of players. Their loss at the hands of their chief pilferers, Liverpool, on day one, seemed to rub salt into the wound of a team that had lost their manager, their best players and their most notable young players (Callum Chambers and Luke Shaw). But 14 games in, they were in the top four. As their form dipped, many wrote them off, but an even more impressive streak followed: drawing to Chelsea, beating Arsenal and Man United, and propelling themselves into third place with performances that any of the ‘big’ clubs would have been proud of. Currently, they are firmly in the mix for a guaranteed Europa League place, even if those coveted Champions League spots edge further away. But what is more important is the impact they have had on the league. They have shown that, by sticking to a philosophy of investing in youth and playing passing football, teams can challenge the status quo without excessive investment. As expected, their top-four challenge faltered, but if they get Europa League football, they should go far, and should be in and around the top six next season.

Manager of the season: Sean Dyche

Before this raises an eyebrow, let me ask you a question: have you ever been to Burnley? To put it bluntly, it’s grim. Although an historic club, quite frankly, it’s a miracle they are in the Premier League to start with. With a population of only 72,000 and an average crowd of only 19,000, I’m sure Burnley fans would forgive me in saying that they’re not a ‘Premiership club’. Yet, here they are. Against all odds, they are firmly in the mix for survival, having spent only a paltry £4.5m since their promotion. With a focus on fitness and defensive solidity, Burnley have more than held their own in the Premiership. Taking four points against City and drawing against the likes of Chelsea and Man Utd, a slight lack of quality has prevented them from pushing forward. However, it must be remembered that Dyche is using largely the same squad that was tipped for Championship relegation. The fact that Burnley are even in the league is impressive, let alone putting up such a fight. Perhaps, with the finances of QPR or even Leicester, Burnley would be comfortably safe by now.

(Unofficial) Player of the Season: Harry Kane

Eden Hazard was announced as PFA Player of the Season on Sunday, but I don't believe that the right choice was made. Perhaps Hazard won it largely on the basis that he plays for a bigger team. Harry Kane would have been my bet.

In the 2012/2013 season, Leicester brought in Harry Kane in a desperate attempt to resurrect their play-off hopes. I anticipated an up-and-coming Premier League striker: what I got was someone who resembled a slightly more glamorous Neil from The Inbetweeners. Every time he played – ambling round the pitch, looking for somewhere to run - the crowd (including myself) met him with derision. Two years later, he’s rubbing it in the faces of the Leicester fans having inspired Spurs to yet another victory. Kane has stepped up from mediocrity to become Spurs’ main man and is in the mix to win the Premier League Golden Boot, having already netted 19 goals by April. Despite his success, I can’t quite work out what has made him so good this season. Where exactly did he come from? When did he become good? He only really got a run in the team a few months in, and immediately started scoring. What did Pochettino do to him in pre-season? In the words of Arsene Wenger: “He has good determination. He doesn’t stop”. Since when has ‘determination’ brought mediocre players to the level of icy-veined strikers such as Sergio Aguero? Perhaps we’ll never know. However, the fact remains that Kane has made the Premier League his own this season. Maybe my anticipation was right after all, if not two years too early.