Manchester United is confident it can chase down Chelsea for the English Premier League title -- and will likely relegate Sunderland in the process, while Arsenal is still optimistic about its fading hopes in jumping past Tottenham to finish in the top four.
It's a crunch long weekend for clubs in the top and bottom halves of the table. In a tight Easter schedule, most teams play two games in two days.
With five games left, Chelsea looks set to retain its title. It leads the league with 82 points, followed by Manchester United with 75 and Liverpool with 70. In the battle for fourth place -- the final Champions League spot -- Tottenham has 58 points and Arsenal and Blackburn have 54.
PHOTO: AP
Manchester United gets an extra day's rest -- it played Sunderland last night and travels to Tottenham on Monday. Manchester United is on a nine-match winning streak -- the last being a 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday.
"Our performances lately have certainly been top-class, not just in terms of winning but also in entertainment terms," Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said. "It's been exciting, and when we've had to dig deep we've done that too."
Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ji-sung Park have been hitting good form.
"All the forward players are really excelling," Ferguson said. "We want goals and those players can provide that. And that has given us all a great deal of optimism."
Arsenal's hopes of finishing fourth, the final qualifying spot for the Champions League, was dented on Wednesday when it drew 1-1 with Portsmouth. The result could save Pompey from relegation.
Arsenal hosts another relegation candidate, West Bromwich Albion, today.
"It is not over," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "We have to keep going and be positive. It is a point, but a disappointing point considering the chances we had.
"We want to make the maximum out of our games, let's win on Saturday and then maybe it will be in our hands again."
Arsenal plays Villarreal in the semifinals of the Champions League later this month. If it wins the tournament and finishes fifth or lower in Premier League, the fourth-place team in the English league will be relegated to the UEFA Cup. Arsenal faces Villarreal at Highbury on April 19 and hosts Tottenham three days later. The Gunners then travel to Spain to play Villarreal in the second leg on April 25. Chelsea plays at Bolton today and hosts Everton on Monday.
Liverpool, which has played a game more, travels to Blackburn tomorrow. The game was moved back a day to avoid a clash with a memorial at Anfield to commemorate the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy, when 96 Liverpool fans died in a stadium crush at an FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest.
Also today, it's Fulham versus Charlton, Newcastle versus Wigan, Portsmouth versus Middlesbrough and West Ham versus Manchester City. Tomorrow, Aston Villa hosts Birmingham. On Monday, it's Charlton versus Portsmouth, Middlesbrough versus West Ham, Sunderland versus Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion versus Bolton.
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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