Man City must refocus on Premiership title race

LONDON. — Manchester City must quickly put the disappointment of Champions League football failure behind them as their battle for English Premier League supremacy with Liverpool resumes this weekend.

City were minutes away from booking a place in the final before Real Madrid produced a stunning extra-time comeback to advance to the 28 May decider against Liverpool in Paris.

With only a point separating leaders City from Liverpool in the league with four matches left, Pep Guardiola’s side host Newcastle United tomorrow, a team they beat 4-0 away in December but who have shown much improvement recently.

Guardiola said his players felt the pressure in Madrid but must now regroup for the title run-in.

“Now we need to process that and come back, with our people at home and the last four games we have,” he said.

Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur today and have the opportunity to retake the lead as they continue their bid for a historic quadruple of trophies.

Jurgen Klopp’s team are unbeaten at home in the league this season, having won 14 of 17 games at Anfield, and will be full of confidence after winning at Villarreal in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg.

Tottenham last won at Liverpool in 2011 but Spurs manager Antonio Conte said his side would go to Anfield looking to take something from the match.

Tottenham Hotspur should not be afraid of pressure when they travel to Liverpool for today’s English Premier League clash and face “one of the best teams in the world”, manager Conte said.

Tottenham are fifth in the English Premier League on 61 points, two points outside the top-four with four matches left. They face a tough challenge against second-placed Liverpool, who have lost only once at home in all competitions this season.

With Liverpool unbeaten in their last 13 matches and challenging Manchester City for the league title, Conte urged his team to put on their best performance.

“For sure we know that in this moment Liverpool are in really good form,” Conte told reporters on Thursday. “We’ve prepared for the game very well.

“We need to be very good without the ball, to be good defensively, but if we want to win, we have to be very good with the ball. We need to play a good game, not to be scared of the pressure.”

Conte heaped praise on Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose team are bidding for an historic quadruple of trophies this season.

“Jurgen Klopp is doing a great job with this team, especially for an English team to arrive at the end of the season to stay in the race for all the competitions you compete in, I think that it’s incredible,” Conte said.

“You can see Liverpool’s players. They run a lot and they don’t have many injuries. They’re doing a fantastic job. Their enthusiasm is 200 per cent and you don’t feel fatigue at this point.

“We need to go there and play our game. We are in the race for a place in the Champions League and we have to find a way to get points in every game. We are playing against one of the best teams in the world away. We prepare like usual.”

Conte said he was unsure whether defender Sergio Reguilon would feature in the remaining matches, with the Spaniard sidelined with a groin injury.

“Sergio Reguilon is not available. He hasn’t had a training session with us. Honestly, I don’t know, it’s only two weeks until the end of the season and I’m not sure if he’ll be back,” Conte said.

Tottenham are fifth and chasing a berth in next season’s Champions League but London rivals Arsenal, who are two points ahead in fourth spot, have an opportunity to solidify their advantage by beating struggling Leeds United at home tomorrow.

Norwich City have been relegated and Watford have little chance of survival, leaving Burnley (34 points), Leeds (34) and Everton (32) fighting to avoid the third relegation slot.

Burnley host Aston Villa today while Everton, who stunned Chelsea 1-0 last weekend, travel to Leicester City tomorrow.

Burnley have collected 10 points from four matches since the sacking of Sean Dyche, with interim manager Mike Jackson adopting a more attacking approach.

English Premiership Fixtures

Today: Chelsea v Wolverhampton Wanderers (4pm); Brentford v Southampton (4pm); Crystal Palace v Watford (4pm); Burnley v Aston Villa (4pm); Brighton v Manchester United (6:30pm); Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur (8:45pm).

Tomorrow: Arsenal v Leeds (3pm); Leicester City v Everton (3pm); Norwich v West Ham (3pm); Manchester City v Newcastle (5:30pm). — AFP.