City forced to regroup
TITLE RACE: MATH IS PRETTY SIMPLE AS LIVERPOOL REMAIN ON THE PROWL
Manchester City must pick themselves off the floor for the visit of Newcastle in the Premier League after their painful Champions League exit, or risk ending the season empty-handed, with Liverpool on the prowl.
Pep Guardiola’s men, reeling after blowing a two-goal lead in the final minute of their semifinal against Real Madrid to lose 6-5 on aggregate, are one point clear of the second-placed Reds but have the disadvantage of playing after their rivals for the second consecutive weekend.
At the other end of the table, Norwich have already been relegated and Watford look certain to follow, with Burnley, Leeds or Everton set to join them in the Championship next season.
Manchester City were on course for a treble before Liverpool won last month’s FA Cup semifinal at Wembley. Now they have just one trophy to play for.
Juergen Klopp’s team have the chance to turn the screws today even though they have a tricky fixture against Tottenham, who are in desperate need of the points as they chase a top-four spot.
Newcastle lost 1-0 to Liverpool last week but that came after four straight wins for Eddie Howe’s revived side, who are now safely in mid-table after their early season woes.
City know the maths is simple – win their remaining four Premier League games and they will be champions for the fourth time in five seasons.
Guardiola is confident his side can shrug off the agony of their European exit but he has no margin for error.
“We need time now, one or two days, but we will rise,” he said. “We have to do it.”
Leeds fans might have shrugged off Burnley’s last-gasp comeback win against Watford last weekend but Everton’s shock victory against Chelsea the following day left them sweating.
Leeds have 34 points – level with Burnley and just two ahead of Frank Lampard’s Everton, who have a game in hand – with a difficult match at Arsenal tomorrow followed by a home game against Chelsea.
Mohamed Salah remains the heavy favourite to win a third Golden Boot but will be looking anxiously over his shoulder at in-form Son Heung-min and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Egypt forward, with 22 league goals, has only scored twice since netting against Brighton in mid-March even as Liverpool have kept up their relentless quest for an unprecedented quadruple.
Since then Son has scored eight times, including a hattrick against Aston Villa and two against Leicester, to take his tally to 19.
Salah and Son will likely go head to head at Anfield today, with personal milestones an added element of spice in a fixture that could prove pivotal for both teams.