Expectations heighten as Premiership returns

By Vic Mills

LONDON (JP): The enforced nine-day break for World Cup commitments has worked only to heighten expectation as premiership soccer returns for the season's penultimate round.

Set to celebrate a fourth Championship in five years, Manchester United, which visits Leicester City on Saturday, needs just five points from four remaining games to retain its title.

Guilty of woeful finishing against Borussia Dortmund in the Champion's Cup, United will look to hit the target against a Leicester side that has again slipped into the relegation zone.

Key figures in these final weeks, Andy Cole and Eric Cantona, will look to continue their recent form. The return to fitness of Cole has proved vital in United's chase for honors. Still some way off his best, his running and eye for a chance has nevertheless eased the pressure on increasingly weary colleagues.

Never quite reaching the heights expected of him in Europe, speculation is rife over Cantona's future. With a year of his contract to run, and manager Alex Ferguson set to bring new talent to Old Trafford this summer, the French internationals' outlook is uncertain.

One rumor circulating around Manchester this week was that Cantona would be offered a coaching job at Old Trafford when his playing days were over. A novel idea, one that Leicester might wish was sooner than later as it chases his shadow Saturday.

With the Premiership runners-up guaranteed a place in next season's lucrative (if somewhat ill-titled) Champions' League, there is still much to play for in this final week for Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United.

SCTV will broadcast live two Premiership matches. The match between Leicester City and Manchester United is scheduled on Saturday at 6 p.m. and Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur at 00:45 on Sunday.

The match of the day at Highbury pits second place Arsenal against fourth place Newcastle. In a shoot-out of potentially epic proportions, Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Paul Merson line up against Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Faustino Asprilla.

With victory an imperative, Arsenal is likely to adopt a more circumspect approach than of late. So the onus, with defenders unlikely to stray beyond half-way, will fall on Wright and Bergkamp to exploit Newcastle's suspect defense.

A point behind Arsenal and with a game in hand, Liverpool plays host to Tottenham Hotspur. The interest at Anfield, Liverpool having bowed out of Europe with all guns blazing, will be the approach employed by manager Roy Evans.

Having dispensed with the five across the back against Paris St Germain, Evans opted for the more conventional 4-4-2. The result was a revelation as Liverpool swapped its show build-up and short passes for a more expansive attacking game fashioned upon pace and movement.

There was no place against PSG for John Barnes, his banishment to the grandstand once more could spell the end for this long- time Liverpool servant. Another on his way out of Anfield is Stan Collymore who looks set to join Aston Villa in the summer.

Missing from the Liverpool team sheet will be English soccer's leading scorer, Robbie Fowler. Suspended for the last three games of the season after being sent-off against Everton, Fowler took his total to 31 with a sublime place of finishing against PSG.

The one available UEFA Cup place remains a three-way contest between Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea. Three points separate the teams in a contest set to go down to the wire.

Elsewhere around the Premiership, the specter is that of relegation. Down and almost out, bottom club Nottingham Forest faces a Wimbledon side in which flair has given way to fatigue in recent weeks. Anything but a win and Forest will be relegated.

Fatigue

Fatigue is very much part of the survival equation for second to bottom Middlesbrough. Five points adrift of possible safety, yet with games in hand, its schedule reads four games in nine days starting with Aston Villa at home Saturday.

It is a game that could conceivably signal the end of Middlesbrough's brave new world, for few expect the likes of Ravanelli, Juninho and Emerson to stay if the club is relegated.

The pressure is no less intense neighbors Sunderland where the threat of relegation, and with it the loss of vital television revenue, is the worst possible scenario for a club set to move to a new stadium in the summer.

Everton is the last visitor to a Roker Park ground that has seen many stirring deeds over the years. Manager Peter Reid will ask for one last effort from his players as they look to keep their Premiership status.

A point above Sunderland stand Coventry City, West Ham United and Southampton. All have home games and all entertain realistic hopes of securing at least a draw.

Coventry plays host to fellow Midlanders Derby County and will hope Dion Dublin's aerial power and Darren Huckerby's pace can breach a Derby defense that has conceded 54 goals this season.

With West Ham striker John Hartson likely to be suspended for the final two games, Upton Park fans will hope for something special from the aggressive forward against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

The form side of those in the drop zone, Southampton could ease its relegation worries with a victory over Blackburn Rovers. With only one away win this season, the Rovers will not relish this small ground and hugely partisan crowd.

Remaining fixtures for Premiership title contenders:

MANCHESTER UNITED May 3 Leicester Away May 6 Middlesbrough Home May 8 Newcastle Home May 11 West Ham Home

LIVERPOOL May 3 Tottenham Home May 6 Wimbledon Away May 11 Sheff Wed Away

ARSENAL Apr 21 Coventry Away May 3 Newcastle Home May 11 Derby Away