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Big Five: Merseyside united in blue





LIVERPOOL is hoping Everton can do them a favour against Manchester City while Atletico can win the La Liga title this weekend. Read our Big Five for your comprehensive weekend viewing guide for football.



MERSEYSIDE UNITED IN BLUE


For once, the biggest supporters of Everton will be on the red half of Merseyside this weekend, with Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes on the line.


If Everton can extend its four-year winning run at home to Manchester City, the balance of power in this enthralling title race will swing back in favour of Liverpool.


Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard noted it is the “first time in a long time everyone will be wearing blue in the city”.





Although Liverpool is top, despite losing to second-placed Chelsea on Sunday, City is in the box seat in third place due to its game in hand that could eradicate a three-point gap to the summit and put it ahead on a superior goal difference.


If City falls short at Goodison Park, Liverpool would be guaranteed its first title since 1990 if it completes the season with victories against Crystal Palace and Newcastle


BLOCKBUSTER EPL WEEK


Saturday May 3


West Ham v Tottenham 9.35 pm Fox 1


Manchester United v Sunderland 11.50 pm Fox 1


Aston Villa v Hull 11.50 pm Viewers Choice


Newcastle v Cardiff 11.50 pm Viewers Choice


Stoke v Fulham 11.50 pm Viewers Choice


Swansea v Southampton 11.50 pm Viewers Choice





Sunday


Everton v Manchester City 2.20 am Fox 1


Arsenal v West Brom 10.20 pm Fox 2


Monday


Chelsea v Norwich 12.50 am Fox 3


Tuesday


Crystal Palace v Liverpool 4.50 am Fox 3


Wednesday


Manchester United v Hull 4.35 am Fox 3


Thursday


Manchester City v Aston Villa 4.35 am Fox 2


Sunderland v West Brom 4.35 am Fox 3





CAN REDS CRASH THE PALACE?


Palace is by no means an easy three points from Brendan Rodgers’s Reds. Before last week’s defeat to City, Tony Pulis’s side was on a five-match winning run. A loss at Slhurst Park and Stevie G and co can all but kiss goodbye the title.


Gerrard will be desperate to atone against the Eagles, it was the skipper’s slip that allowed Demba Ba to score the opener in the costly 2-0 loss to Chelsea a week ago.


Don’t rule Jose Mourinho’s Blues out, either.


While the London club needs both Liverpool and City to stumble, you’d be a brave person to bet against another twist in this crazy title race.





SUNDERLAND’S SURVIVAL


Having been bottom of the league before routing relegation-rival Cardiff 4-0, Sunderland is now out of the drop zone and should survive by winning two of its last three matches.


The first of the trio is against a Manchester United side with little to play for in seventh place but everything to prove about its enduring strengths as it looks to attract a successor to David Moyes.


If Ryan Giggs follows up last weekend’s emphatic victory over Norwich with another fine display as interim manager, the clamour for him to get the job permanently could grow.





MADRID CLUBS ON A HIGH


Atletico Madrid can follow up its feat of reaching the Champions League final by winning its first Spanish league title in 18 years if closest rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid slip up this weekend.


Atletico beat Chelsea to reach its first European Cup final in 40 years on Wednesday and, for an encore, it can take another step toward its first league championship since 1996 with a victory at Levante on Sunday.





Atletico has 88 points with three rounds to play, Barcelona is second with 84 points ahead of its game against Getafe on Saturday. Madrid has 82 points but still has four games left to play.


Both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid must harness the momentum from its impressive Champions League victories as they find themselves fighting each other for the domestic title as well.


The teams will play for the European Cup in Lisbon on May 24, but La Liga is still very much up for grabs before that.


“We’ve got to focus on the game against Levante and nothing more,” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. “We’ve got to recover and move forward game by game.”


Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa is available after being sidelined nearly two months to a knee injury.





BARCELONA ON BRINK


Barcelona faces a must-win match against Getafe on Saturday as it looks to avoid its first trophyless season since 2006-07. If Barcelona fails to maintain the pressure on Atletico it will have no chance of retaining its league title.


“We know that we’re dependent on other results and that certainly complicates things,” Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets said on Thursday. “But we have hope. We need to exhaust all of our possibilities.” The club will pay tribute to former coach Tito Vilanova on Saturday at Camp Nou.





It will be the first chance the Catalan club gets to remember Vilanova at its home stadium since his passing from throat cancer last week at age 45.


Barcelona will sport a “Tito, Always Eternal” slogan across the front of its jerseys, while the 99,000-capacity stadium will display a message in honour of Vilanova in the stands. “Tito’s presence will be with us for our final games,” Busquets said.


Vilanova guided Barcelona to the Spanish league title last season in his only season in charge after replacing Pep Guardiola.


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