Title beckons for City

LONDON. — Liverpool’s extraordinary 3-3 draw at Crystal Palace means that Manchester City can close to within touching distance of the Barclays Premier League soccer title by beating Aston Villa tonight. The match kicks-off at 8:45pm. With the top two neck-and-neck on 80 points and with two games to play each, City were braced for a repeat of the 2012 campaign, when they pipped Manchester United to the title on goal difference on the final day.

However, Liverpool’s late capitulation at Selhurst Park on Monday night, when they let a 3-0 lead slip in the last 11 minutes, means that City now effectively need only four points to regain the title.

Both their last matches are at home, with West Ham United following Villa to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and with a goal difference of +59 to Liverpool’s +50, they can afford to drop two points and still finish on top.

City midfielder Samir Nasri was unable to contain his delight at Liverpool’s slip-up, tweeting shortly after the game: “What a game, what a league. I love Crystal Palace so much. Now our turn to do the job.”

While both Villa and West Ham have nothing to play for this season, Yaya Toure has warned his City team-mates not to take them lightly.
“Both Aston Villa and West Ham are sharp and will come to just enjoy the games, but we have a league to play for,” said the Ivorian midfielder.
“I hope we complete the job, but it depends how sharp we are, how we prepare mentally and physically.

“Our target was always to win something, but for us the League Cup is not enough. The Premier League was always our target, so now we need to be at our optimum levels when Aston Villa come to our stadium on Wednesday (tonight).”

He added: “We definitely expect to win it. As a team at the top, you always expect to win.
“We have worked so hard this year and, if we don’t win, it would be a massive disappointment for us, for the fans and for the club as well.”
Toure has declared himself fit after being substituted during the second half of Saturday’s 3-2 win at Everton.

But Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has been ruled out of tonight’s crunch clash with Aston Villa because of a groin strain.
Aguero suffered the injury in the first half of last week’s 3-2 victory at Everton, shortly after scoring and making it 1-1.

The Argentina star will definitely miss tonight’s match with Villa, and is a doubt for City’s final match of the season against West Ham.
Following Liverpool’s dramatic collapse at Crystal Palace on Monday night, where the Reds let a 3-0 lead slip and drew 3-3, City need four points from their final two Premier League matches to win the title.

City boss Manuel Pellegrini said: “Sergio couldn’t recover 100 per cent from his groin problem, so he is not in the squad list.
“Maybe he can have some chances (for the West Ham match), we will see the way he improves during the week.

“It was not 100 per cent sure if he was completely fit for Wednesday, that is why I didn’t want to have a risk with him, but we will see during the week if he can play on Sunday.

“It’s a difficult game because all the teams are under pressure. But I hope that if we play at home as we have so far we can win.”
City will go two points clear of leaders Liverpool, whose title hopes suffered a huge blow when they threw away a 3-0 lead in a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday night, with one game to play if they beat Villa.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers conceded the title to City after his side’s shocking slump at Selhurst Park but Pellegrini remained typically cautious.

“I really don’t know what Brendan said. I only know we have two games and we have to win the game against Aston Villa.
“At the end of the week we will see which team has more points.”

Pellegrini added he did not see Liverpool’s match against Palace, where the visitors let in three goals in a frantic final 11 minutes.
“I feel it is just one result more in the Premier League,” Pellegrini said. “In the Premier League it is very difficult to win the games.

“You cannot be sure you are winning until the end, until the last minute.”
Villa also have concerns over the fitness of a key forward, after Gabriel Agbonlahor was forced off during the 3-1 defeat of Hull City on Saturday with a knee problem. — AFP.