Man City hope to delay title surrender

TodayTottenham vs Man City (14:30) Liverpool vs Chelsea (17:00) Manchester City can delay the inevitable by beating fifth-place Tottenham on Sunday in the Premier League. Manchester United, who lead City by 13 points, can clinch their 20th English title with a victory at home to Aston Villa on Monday if City lose at White Hart Lane. City have saved some of their best form for the latter stages of the season, winning six of their last seven league matches, but the team will not be as fresh as Tottenham, who have been on a 10-day break since being knocked out of the Europa League quarterfinals. Physical edge may not be the only factor as Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who used to play for City, predicted that his opponents will start fighting each other on the field if things don’t go their way. “If we put them under pressure we have a chance to win for sure,” said Adebayor, who clashed with coach Roberto Mancini when he played for City and was made to play with the youth team. “I was there and whenever things are not going their way there will definitely be a fight or an argument on the pitch and that is how we can take them down.” Tottenham have not won a game this calendar year in which winger Gareth Bale has not scored and head coach Andre Villas-Boas will be hoping his star player recovers from an ankle injury in time for Sunday’s match. A City win would also put a huge dent in Tottenham’s Champions League ambitions with the North London club currently two points behind fourth-place Arsenal, having played one game less, and three points behind Chelsea in third. Chelsea interim manager Rafa Benitez returns to the club he led to the 2005 Champions League title on Sunday as the Blues travel to Liverpool hoping to consolidate their strong position in the race for the league’s top four. A grueling fixture list could hamper Chelsea’s chances as they try to maintain a challenge on two fronts in the Premier League and the Europa League, where they have reached the semifinals. After Liverpool, Benitez’s team still has to face Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton, as well as relegation-threatened Aston Villa. Agencies