NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT

Liverpool can seal EPL title for MC

Liverpool will like nothing more than to officially hand over its title as English Premier League champion to Manchester City on Sunday. City moved to the brink of reclaiming the league crown by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Saturday. One more win will complete the job for Pep Guardiola’s players — unless Liverpool does it for them with a victory at second-placed Manchester United, the only team that can mathematically stop City. Liverpool has long since given up its title after a dramatic implosion in the second half of the season. The Reds even look likely to fall short of qualifying for next season’s Champions League considering they are seven points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, which beat Fulham 2-0 on Saturday. To have any realistic chance of finishing in the top four, winning at Old Trafford is a must for Jurgen Klopp’s team. Of course, there are plenty of more chances for City to wrap up a third title in four years, and a fifth in the last decade. Should Liverpool fail to beat United, City can become champion again with a home win over Chelsea next Saturday.

Palou on pole for IndyCar at Texas

The Spanish and Italian clubs still cling Alex Palou will start on the pole for the IndyCar Series’ first oval race of the season at Texas after qualifying was canceled Saturday because of overnight rain and morning mist. The only scheduled practice session before the two races over consecutive days at the 1 ½-mile, high-banked oval was pushed back nearly two hours while track officials worked to dry the track under mostly overcast skies. When the 75-minute practice session started, IndyCar said qualifying was canceled and the field for Saturday night’s race would be set by owners’ points. The scheduled start of the race was also moved up a half hour to 6:15 p.m. local (Central) time because the chances of rain were forecast to increase later Saturday evening. Two-time Texas winner Will Power of Team Penske is also on the front row. Scott Dixon, Palou’s teammate with Chip Ganassi Racing, will start third. Dixon has won four times at Texas, including last June in the pandemic-delayed 2020 season opener without fans at the track.

Saints take Book in post-Brees era

Perhaps the best-known collegian selected in the fourth round was Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book. And Book went somewhere with a QB opening: New Orleans, which saw career passing leader Drew Brees retire. That doesn’t mean Book, the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history, will be stepping in to the starting lineup in the Big Easy. Indeed, he’s more likely to be a developmental project behind Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston. “It’s coach Payton and the offense there and obviously I think it’s huge that Drew Brees was there for as long as he was doing what he was doing,” Book said. “We’re different players but we’re similar in stature, and he proved to everybody down there and in the world that he could do it, and I want to do the same thing, and I feel like I fit in that system well. Those are big shoes to fill. There’s no doubt about it. But that’s exciting, and exciting challenge for me.” Book is known as a strong leader and good athlete. Does the ninth quarterback taken in 2021 have the arm and accuracy to make it behind center in the NFL? We’ll find out eventually..

—AP