LONDON (Reuters) - Huddersfield Town's woeful season could reach its nadir this weekend when defeat by Crystal Palace combined with results elsewhere will mean they equal an unwanted record.
Should they lose and Burnley and Southampton win against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively, relegation will become a certainty.
Only Derby County, in 2007-08, have been relegated before the end of March in the Premier League era.
Derby finished that season on a 32-game winless run and with only a record-low 11 points.
Huddersfield, in their second successive season in the Premier League having not graced the top flight since 1972, have 14 points but defeat on Saturday and wins for Burnley and Saints would leave them 19 points adrift of 17th place with only six games of the season left.
It is a sad state of affairs for the Terriers who spent the first six weeks of last season in the top half of the table before eventually finishing in 16th position.
There was hope for Huddersfield when they went undefeated in the league in November. However, the rot then set in as they lost 13 and drew one of their next 14 games -- a run that ended in manager David Wagner leaving and Jan Siewert taking charge.
While dire, Huddersfield's points haul is not the lowest of the struggling clubs in Europe's top leagues.
Chievo have managed only 11 points in Serie A, while FC Nurnberg have collected 13 in the Bundesliga, although both of those sides have played fewer games.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christian Radnedge)