Man City, Liverpool Turn Attention Back to Premier League Shootout

Manchester City hold a one-point Premier League lead over Liverpool with five games to play. Paul ELLIS AFP
Manchester City hold a one-point Premier League lead over Liverpool with five games to play. Paul ELLIS AFP
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Man City, Liverpool Turn Attention Back to Premier League Shootout

Manchester City hold a one-point Premier League lead over Liverpool with five games to play. Paul ELLIS AFP
Manchester City hold a one-point Premier League lead over Liverpool with five games to play. Paul ELLIS AFP

Manchester City and Liverpool must quickly turn their focus from Champions League glory to the battle for the Premier League title, with no room for error in tricky away trips on Saturday.

City, who hold a one-point advantage at the top of the table with five games remaining, travel to Leeds, who are also in need of the points to guarantee survival, AFP said.

The Premier League's top two remain on course to end their season with another showdown in the Champions League final after seeing off Spanish opposition in contrasting fashion in midweek.

City should have put Real Madrid out of sight in a thrilling 4-3 win over the 13-time European champions, while Goliath got the better of David as Liverpool beat Villarreal 2-0.

Champions League considerations could play a major role in the team selection of both title contenders.

Jurgen Klopp gave Liverpool fans even more cause for celebration by extending his contract at Anfield for a further two years to 2026 on Thursday.

However, the German is far from happy at the scheduling of a lunchtime kick-off just three days after a Champions League semi-final.

"It's brutal but it's fine. It's the best situation you can have," said Klopp.

"Just go for the next one and try to play the best football you can."

City boss Pep Guardiola has a tough balancing act in selecting his side for what is expected to be an energy-sapping visit to Elland Road before their blockbuster return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

- 'Best in the world' -
Leeds are unbeaten in five games, but are just five points clear of the relegation zone ahead of a tough run-in, with Arsenal and Chelsea to come after the visit of City.

"I think it is the ultimate test," said Leeds manager Jesse Marsch. "I'm very honest when I say that I think they are the best team in the world."

Everton have a game in hand to cut the gap on Leeds down to two points, but the Toffees' 68-year stay in the top flight is at serious risk.

Frank Lampard could do with a favor from his old club as Chelsea visit Goodison Park on Sunday.

By the time they kick off, Lampard's men could find themselves five points adrift of safety should Burnley continue their upturn in form since sacking Sean Dyche.

The Clarets have taken seven points from a possible nine under caretaker boss Mike Jackson and will be confident of another huge win when they travel to Watford.

The Hornets have lost 10 consecutive home games and their return to the Championship would be virtually confirmed by another defeat.

A Burnley victory would also mathematically relegate Norwich, should they lose at Aston Villa.

The battle to join City, Liverpool and Chelsea in next season's Champions League looks like a shootout between north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.

Arsenal have a two-point advantage and both sides will be confident of victory this weekend against opposition with European semi-finals on their mind.

The Gunners travel to West Ham, who trail Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.

Tottenham host Leicester, who have it all to play for next week in the last four of their Europa Conference League tie after a 1-1 draw with Roma in Thursday's first leg.

Fixtures (all times GMT)

Saturday

Newcastle v Liverpool (1130), Southampton v Crystal Palace, Aston Villa v Norwich, Wolves v Brighton, Watford v Burnley (all 1400), Leeds v Manchester City (1630)

Sunday

Everton v Chelsea, Tottenham v Leicester (both 1300), West Ham v Arsenal (1530)

Monday

Manchester United v Brentford (1900)



Soccer-Bayern Munich on Brink of Bundesliga Title, Kane Eyes Record

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller and Harry Kane celebrate after the match REUTERS/Heiko Becke/ File Photo
Soccer Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller and Harry Kane celebrate after the match REUTERS/Heiko Becke/ File Photo
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Soccer-Bayern Munich on Brink of Bundesliga Title, Kane Eyes Record

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller and Harry Kane celebrate after the match REUTERS/Heiko Becke/ File Photo
Soccer Football - Bundesliga - 1. FC Heidenheim v Bayern Munich - Voith-Arena, Heidenheim, Germany - April 19, 2025 Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller and Harry Kane celebrate after the match REUTERS/Heiko Becke/ File Photo

Bayern Munich will secure the Bundesliga title on Saturday with a win over top four hopefuls Mainz 05 if rivals and reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen fail to beat Augsburg.

The Bavarians, who last year saw Leverkusen clinch a league and Cup double undefeated, are eager to seal their 34th German league crown and reestablish their domestic dominance.

It would also help put last week's bitter Champions League quarter-final exit to Inter Milan behind them.

For 31-year-old forward Harry Kane, who has scored 60 goals in his 60 Bundesliga matches for Bayern so far, it would be the first major club trophy of his career, having failed to lift any silverware with Tottenham Hotspur or England, Reuters reported.

With 24 league goals so far, Kane is also on track to become the first player to win the top scorer title in both of his first two Bundesliga seasons.

Bayern are on 72 points with four matches left to play, and with Leverkusen second on 64.

For 35-year-old Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who will be leaving at the end of the season after 25 years at the club, it could be his 500th league game for Bayern.

Only three other players in Bundesliga history have ever reached that mark playing for just one club: Charly Koerbel (602 games for Eintracht Frankfurt), Manfred Kaltz (581 matches for Hamburg SV) and Michael Lameck (518 for VfL Bochum).

While Bayern's title win looks all but certain and Leverkusen are sure of Champions League football next season being 12 points ahead of third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, there is a battle raging for the last two spots in the top continental club competition.

The top four finishers qualify automatically for the Champions League.

Eintracht, third on 52 points, host fourth-placed RB Leipzig, on 49, on Saturday. Freiburg, on 48, are fifth.

Mainz, sixth on 47 points, and seventh-placed Borussia Dortmund on 45, are still in with a chance, albeit slim, of finishing in the top four.

Dortmund, who travel to Hoffenheim on Saturday, have had a disappointing domestic campaign, dropping outside of the European spots.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League, a competition in which they reached the final last year, would be a major financial and sporting blow to the publicly-traded Ruhr valley club.

But club bosses know that the horror scenario would be missing out on European football completely next season.