Manchester City are determined to usher in a new era for English football today by clinching their first title for 44 years as the curtain comes down on a thrilling Premier League campaign.
Four years after the serial under-achievers from the blue half of Manchester were bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group, the club’s fabulously wealthy owners are poised to see the biggest return yet on their substantial investment.
Victory over QPR at Eastlands today will be enough to see Roberto Mancini’s side claim the league crown.
Yet City are determined to ensure that victory in this year’s league campaign is only a stepping stone to greater glory.
Yaya Toure,who has been one of the cornerstones of City’s success this season, is convinced that the club can achieve global dominance in the years to come.
“That’s why I came here, to help the team, give my experience to the young guys and to help the club go forward and make it bigger than any club in the world,” Toure said.
“But now we are at a good step. To make history, we have to win something and follow the example of what we did last year,” added Toure, reflecting on the 2011 FA Cup triumph.
Bitter cross-town rivals United, meanwhile, are left clinging to the hope that City’s historical reputation as masters of shooting themselves in the foot will re-emerge against QPR.
While Rangers are fighting for Premier League survival, needing a win to be sure of avoiding relegation, City head into the game on the back of a remarkable home record that has seen them drop just two points at Eastlands all season.
QPR, by contrast, have one of the worst away records in the league, winning three, drawing twice and losing 13 on the road.
Yet the possibility of one last twist to a roller-coaster season in English football cannot be discounted, and denying City the title on the last day of the season would be particularly sweet for QPR manager Mark Hughes, who was sacked by City in December 2009.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he expects City to seal the deal today, but could not resist one final attempt to play on his rivals’ nerves by warning that failure at Eastlands could leave lasting scars on the club’s psyche.
“On the face of it you expect City to win and so do I. But City have got to win. It’s an enormous challenge for them because the disappointment of losing the game would be unbelievable,” he said.
Another side keeping a close eye on QPR’s match will be third-bottom Bolton, who must win at Stoke and hope Hughes’ side are beaten by City if they are to stand any chance of avoiding relegation.
Today – 16.00
Chelsea - Blackburn
Everton - Newcastle
Manchester City - QPR
Norwich - Aston Villa
Stoke - Bolton
Sunderland - Man. United
Swansea - Liverpool
Tottenham - Fulham
West Brom - Arsenal
Wigan - Wolves
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Man. City | 37 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 90 | 27 | 86 |
| Man. United | 37 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 88 | 33 | 86 |
| Arsenal | 37 | 20 | 7 | 10 | 71 | 47 | 67 |
| Tottenham | 37 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 41 | 66 |
| Newcastle | 37 | 19 | 8 | 10 | 55 | 48 | 65 |
| Chelsea | 37 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 63 | 45 | 61 |
| Everton | 37 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 47 | 39 | 53 |
| Liverpool | 37 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 47 | 39 | 52 |
| Fulham | 37 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 48 | 49 | 52 |
| West Brom | 37 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 43 | 49 | 47 |
| Sunderland | 37 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
| Swansea | 37 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 43 | 51 | 44 |
| Norwich | 37 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 50 | 66 | 44 |
| Stoke City | 37 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 51 | 44 |
| Wigan | 37 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 39 | 60 | 40 |
| Aston Villa | 37 | 7 | 17 | 13 | 37 | 51 | 38 |
| QPR | 37 | 10 | 7 | 20 | 41 | 63 | 37 |
| Bolton | 37 | 10 | 5 | 22 | 44 | 75 | 35 |
| Blackburn | 37 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 47 | 76 | 31 |
| Wolves | 37 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 38 | 79 | 25 |
League One play-off
Semi-final 1st leg
MK Dons-Huddersfield - 0-2
League Two play-off
Semi-final 1st legs
Crewe-Southend - 1-0
Today
Cheltenham-Torquay 13:00