5 things to know about English premiership

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — It takes
something pretty special to overshadow
Ryan Giggs' first game as manager of
Manchester United.
A title-defining match between Liverpool
and Chelsea can be described as just
that.
Liverpool will eliminate Chelsea from the
title race — and move to the brink of a
first English championship in 24 years —
with a win at Anfield on Sunday in a
contest that will capture the world's
attention. The Reds hold a five-point
lead over Chelsea with three games
remaining, with Manchester City a point
further back in third but with a match in
hand.
United is usually in title contention at
this stage of the season. Not this time.
David Moyes was fired on Tuesday with
the team lying seventh and with no
chance of qualifying for next season's
Champions League. Giggs, a United
great, has taken temporary charge of a
team he has graced for 23 years and his
first match is against Norwich on
Saturday.
Here are five things to know about this
weekend's round:
___
MIND GAMES
Perhaps Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
was just trying to lull Liverpool into a
false sense of security by saying this
week that the Champions League was
his priority and he'd prefer to pick a
weakened team for the Liverpool match.
All will be discovered in lineup on
Sunday.
The timing of the match is unfortunate
for Chelsea, coming between the two
legs of the Champions League semifinals
against Atletico Madrid. Mourinho is sure
to make changes to give several players a
breather, but how many?
Captain John Terry and goalkeeper Petr
Cech will definitely miss out after being
hurt in Tuesday's first leg.
It all puts Liverpool in a very strong
position as Brendan Rodgers' team goes
for a 12th straight league win. A victory
for Liverpool and a slip-up by
Manchester City at Crystal Palace later
Sunday would mean the Reds having a
chance to clinch the title with a match to
spare.
NO ROOM FOR ERROR
Aside from maybe Liverpool, was there
any team Man City would prefer not to
play against this weekend than Crystal
Palace? Probably not.
Under the wily stewardship of manager
Tony Pulis, Palace has won its last five
games to climb away from the relegation
zone and secure Premier League football
for another season. It's a remarkable
feat, given that the promoted team had
only four points when Pulis was hired in
November.
City stayed in realistic title contention by
beating West Bromwich Albion 3-1 on
Monday but it came at a cost, with David
Silva injuring his right ankle. The absence
of the Spain playmaker for this weekend
would be a huge blow as he makes City's
attack tick.
Key midfielder Yaya Toure could return
for City, though, and striker Sergio
Aguero is slowly getting his match fitness
back after a long lay-off. City realistically
needs to win all four of its remaining
matches to stand a chance of winning a
second league title in three years.
___
GIGGS TAKES CHARGE
Perhaps the final vestige of Moyes'
woeful reign at United was removed on
Thursday when the "Chosen One" banner
was brought down at Old Trafford.
Saturday marks another new start for
United in the gloomy post-Alex Ferguson
era, with Giggs in charge for the visit of
Norwich.
Assisted by former teammates Nicky
Butt, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville from
the so-called 'Class of 92,' Giggs' priority
will be to pick up some wins and also to
bring a smile back to United fans, many
of whom have never seen the club so
low.
"We walked in here together when we
were 12 and to be here now . together is
a very proud moment," Butt said. "We're
here to try to help the club and get the
results that we want from now until the
end of the season. What happens after
that, who knows?"
Seventh-place United can still fight for
sixth position, which likely offers the
final Europe League berth. Tottenham is
three points ahead in sixth.
___
RACE FOR FOURTH
Arsenal is in command of the race for the
fourth and final Champions League
qualification spot, holding a one-point
advantage over Everton with both having
three games remaining.
The Gunners have much the easier
match coming up, with Newcastle visiting
Emirates Stadium on Monday on the back
of five straight losses which has piled the
pressure on manager Alan Pardew.
With attacking midfielders Mesut Ozil
and Aaron Ramsey back fit, some cutting
edge has returned to Arsenal's attack just
in time for a crucial last month of the
season when the team looks to seal a
17th straight campaign in Europe's top
competition and to win the FA Cup final
against Hull.
Everton plays at Southampton on
Saturday. With its next match being at
home to Man City, it's easy to see why
the Merseysiders are underdogs for
fourth.
___
RELEGATION BATTLE
Sunderland has proved to be a nemesis
for the big teams this season — it's time
for Gus Poyet's last-place side to show
its mettle also against the strugglers if it
is to stay up.
Nothing can be decided this weekend in
the increasingly fraught relegation battle
that still involves nine teams, but the
outcome of Sunday's crunch match
between Cardiff and Sunderland — two
members of the bottom three — will
have a huge bearing on who goes down.
Sunderland has taken four points from
trips to Man City and Chelsea over the
past week but is still bottom by a point
behind Cardiff and Fulham.

Culled from yahoo