Chelsea might be struggling to hang on to Manchester United's coat-tails in the final stages of the season, but Frank Lampard insists he is relishing the closest Premiership title battle in years.
Even if it ultimately means he misses out on a third consecutive championship medal, the Blues' England midfielder believes the competition offered by a revitalized United is a good thing for the English game.
United will entertain Middlesbrough today looking to extend their lead over their London rivals to six points ahead of Chelsea's trip to Newcastle tomorrow.
PHOTO: AP
With only five matches left for each of the top two, a single slip-up by either side could prove decisive and Lampard is happy to be at the heart of the nerve-shredding battle.
"We've won the league pretty comfortably for the last two years and this year Manchester United have upped it so it's been a bit different," the 28-year-old reflected. "It's been a much closer race and I think it's probably not a bad thing for English football because everyone likes to see a good battle to the end."
Newcastle are expecting to welcome back Turkey midfielder Emre after an 11-week injury-enforced absence, but star striker Michael Owen looks likely to wait until the following week before finally making his comeback from the serious knee injury he suffered during the World Cup.
United meanwhile are hoping to welcome Rio Ferdinand back for Boro's visit to Old Trafford, easing the defensive injury crisis that manager Sir Alex Ferguson has had to deal with in recent weeks.
Ferdinand's injury has contributed to Wes Brown enjoying a prolonged run in the team and the back-up defender believes United will prove their squad has sufficient depth of quality to hold off Chelsea.
"We have five games to go and we are looking to win every one of them because if we do, we know we have won the league," said Brown. "Middlesbrough will be a tough game because they will get stuck into us, but we are at home and if we play as well as we can do, we can win."
Liverpool can guarantee a top four finish and a place in the final qualifying round for next season's Champions League by beating Wigan at Anfield today.
But, as captain Steven Gerrard acknowledged, the Reds' thoughts are likely to be dominated by next week's Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
"I believe there is still more to come from us this season and we have kept enough in the tank to bring success, and a trophy, back to Anfield in May," the England midfielder said. "Now everyone is playing for places next week down at Chelsea, and that is always a nice situation for the manager to find himself in. We've just about got a full squad to chose from and everybody wants to be involved in the big games."
Arsenal are also virtually certain of Champions League football next season and Gunners fans will be keen for them to deal a blow to Tottenham's European ambitions in the north London derby at White Hart Lane.
Arsene Wenger's side are seeking to complete a hat-trick of wins over their closest neighbors this season -- an outcome which would bring a welcome respite from the boardroom squabbles currently dominating life at the Emirates.
At the bottom, Watford could be relegated if they lose at home to Manchester City, West Ham must beat Everton to have any realistic prospect of survival and Charlton and Sheffield United meet at The Valley in a match that looks like a duel between the most likely survivors in the bottom four.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and