SOCCER / PREMIERSHIP PREVIEW

Lampard relishing Man Utd rivalry

Competition good for English game star

AFP

London / Chelsea might be struggling to hang on to Manchester United's coat-tails in the final stages of the season, but Frank Lampard insists he is relishing the closest Premiership title battle in years.

Even if it ultimately means he misses out on a third consecutive championship medal, the Blues' England midfielder believes the competition offered by a revitalised United is a good thing for the English game.

United will entertain Middlesbrough today looking to extend their lead over their London rivals to six points ahead of Chelsea's trip to Newcastle tomorrow.

With only five matches left for each of the top two, a single slip-up by either side could prove decisive and Lampard is happy to be at the heart of the nerve-shredding battle.

''We've won the league pretty comfortably for the last two years and this year Manchester United have upped it so it's been a bit different,'' the 28-year-old reflected.

''It's been a much closer race and I think it's probably not a bad thing for English football because everyone likes to see a good battle to the end.''

Newcastle are expecting to welcome back Turkey midfielder Emre after an 11-week injury-enforced absence but star striker Michael Owen looks likely to wait until the following week before finally making his comeback from the serious knee injury he suffered during the World Cup.

United meanwhile are hoping to welcome Rio Ferdinand back for Boro's visit to Old Trafford, easing the defensive injury crisis that manager Sir Alex Ferguson has had to deal with in recent weeks.

Ferdinand's injury has contributed to Wes Brown enjoying a prolonged run in the team and the back-up defender believes United will prove their squad has sufficient depth of quality to hold off Chelsea.

''We have five games to go and we are looking to win every one of them because if we do, we know we have won the league,'' said Brown.

''Middlesbrough will be a tough game because they will get stuck into us, but we are at home and if we play as well as we can do, we can win the game.''

Liverpool can guarantee a top four finish and a place in the final qualifying round for next season's Champions League by beating Wigan at Anfield today.

But, as captain Steven Gerrard acknowledged, the Reds' thoughts are likely to be dominated by next week's Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

''I believe there is still more to come from us this season and we have kept enough in the tanks to bring success, and a trophy, back to Anfield in May,'' the England midfielder said.

''Now everyone is playing for places next week down at Chelsea, and that is always a nice situation for the manager to find himself in. We've just about got a full squad to chose from and everybody wants to be involved in the big games.''

Arsenal are also virtually certain of Champions League football next season and Gunners fans will be keen for them to deal a blow to Tottenham's European ambitions in the north London derby at White Hart Lane.

Arsene Wenger's side are seeking to complete a hat-trick of wins over their closest neighbours this season _ an outcome which would bring a welcome respite from the boardroom squabbles currently dominating life at the Emirates.

At the bottom, Watford could be relegated if they lose at home to Manchester City, West Ham must beat Everton to have any realistic prospect of survival and Charlton and Sheffield United meet at The Valley in a match that looks like a duel between the most likely survivors in the bottom four.

Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)

Saturday: Bolton v Reading, Charlton v Sheffield Utd, Fulham v Blackburn, Liverpool v Wigan, Manchester Utd v Middlesbrough (1615 GMT), Tottenham v Arsenal (1145 GMT), Watford v Manchester City, West Ham v Everton

Sunday: Aston Villa v Portsmouth (1500 GMT), Newcastle v Chelsea (1230 GMT).

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Last Updated : Saturday April 21, 2007