Race for Premier League title comes down to Man City and QPR - Calgary Herald

It's the final round of games in the Premier League this weekend, with all matches kicking off on Sunday at the same time.

The title race pretty much comes down to Manchester City hosting Queen's Park Rangers. City and Manchester United are level on points, but City is eight goals to the better in goal difference, so a win should see it take the crown. United is away to Sunderland, and must hope that City drops points, as otherwise United must win by at least nine goals, and I don't see that happening.

City, of course, is a clear favourite. It has the best home record in the league, undefeated at 17 wins and one draw, while QPR is the Premiership's worst road team. QPR is an unpredictable side though, and is still very much in relegation danger, so it has ample incentive. There is also the matter of QPR boss Mark Hughes, who was unceremoniously and tactlessly sacked by City in 2009 moments after a home win, with his replacement Roberto Mancini sit-ting in the stands.

Also in the spotlight on Sunday is the battle for third place, with Arsenal a point up on Tottenham while Newcastle is a further point back. Fourth place may be good enough to win a place in next year's UEFA Champions League, but not if Chelsea wins the European title this year. If that happens, Chelsea would claim England's fourth spot as defending champion.

Finally, in the relegation battle, credit goes to Wigan which has pulled off a remarkable escape. It recorded a sensational string of wins over Man United, Arsenal, and Newcastle before knocking off Blackburn on Monday to secure its safety.

CONGRATULATIONS RAY

One of Sunday's key matches in the battle for third place is the Lon-don derby between Spurs and Fulham at White Hart Lane. I attended that very fixture two years ago, and it was there that I got a chance to see my old Whitecaps FC team-mate Ray Lewington who has been on the coaching staff at Fulham for several years. Now though Lewing-ton has been appointed as assistant manager to the England squad about to compete at Euro 2012, and will work under new England man-ager Roy Hodgson! Well done.

Lewington was a key midfielder in Vancouver's 1979 Soccer Bowl winning side, playing and starting almost every match. He also has another 'Caps connection.

Back in 2004, Lewington was man-ager of Watford, where he was credited with discovering defender Jay DeMerit, who is now Vancouver's captain. Jay was playing for a semi-professional side in a preseason friendly against Watford when Ray spotted him, and promptly offered him a contract.

AROUND EUROPE

It's also the final round of games this weekend in Italy and Spain, where both championships have already been decided. Juventus, though, is still looking to finish the season undefeated, as it hosts Ata-lanta. In the battle for third-place. Meanwhile, Udinese holds the edge over much richer clubs in Lazio, Napoli and Inter Milan.

There's a big relegation battle in Spain involving several clubs, as Zaragoza hopes to escape the drop playing away to Getafe. Among the teams it could overtake is once proud Villarreal, which has had a horrible season.

There's also a big game in France on Sunday as leader Montpellier hosts third-place Lille, looking to protect its three-point advantage over powerful PSG.

SUMMER TIME

Congratulations to the Canadian U-17 women for qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Canada defeated Mexico 1-0 in Thurs-day's semifinal, and now faces the mighty U.S. in Saturday's CONCA-CAF championship match in Guatemala.

Canada is a defending champion, having upset the U.S. in the semis two years ago.

Canada's key player is speedy for-ward Summer Clarke, from Richmond, B.C., who is second in tournament scoring.

Funnily enough, the tournament's top scorer is American forward Summer Green.

The Canadian squad also includes several players from the Whitecaps FC Girls Elite program including midfielder Jasmin Dhanda and for-ward Elissa Neff who have both got on the scoresheet. Saturday's final can be watched live at www.conca-caf.com.

Bob Lenarduzzi is President of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. For information on Whitecaps FC summer camps visit www.whitecapsfc.com/ camps or call 778-330-1354.