Zayed Sports City gears up for EPL title decider on Super Sunday

Manchester City FC fans in the UAE will be able to watch the title deciding game against West Ham this Sunday at a free family event.

The outdoor screening at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi is being staged to celebrate City going for their second English Premier League championship in three seasons.

The event, to be held on the football pitch next to the tennis stadium, starts at 5.30pm UAE time with kick-off at 6pm.

Patrick Vieira, who has won league titles in England and  Italy and is now a youth boss at City, said: "I have been to Abu Dhabi with the club on several occasions and they are absolutely superb fans.

"The passion and the knowledge is really there and the support is growing all the time. The chats I had with fans were really interesting with many nationalities involved."

Two seasons ago hundreds of Manchester City fans gathered at Zayed Sports City to watch what turned out to be the most dramatic conclusion to a season English Premier League history with the team winning the title thanks to a last minute goal from Sergio Aguero.

GUNS BLAZING

Manchester City will go out all guns blazing in their final game of the season against West Ham United and will not play for the draw that would secure them the Premier League title, manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Wednesday.

City netted their 100th goal of the season in a 4-0 win over Aston Villa which sent them two points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table and put them within touching distance of a second title in three years.

With a vastly superior goal difference over their rivals, City need only a point from Sunday's clash at the Etihad Stadium, but they will not be playing it safe.

"Now we can talk about the title," Pellegrini told the BBC. "Before this game I was just thinking about winning against Aston Villa.

"Now of course we must win the last game here at home against West Ham. We are not thinking of drawing. We are thinking of trying to play. As we did so far during the whole season here at the Etihad.

"If we play in that way maybe we can win the title."

The emphatic victory over Aston Villa was far from the comfortable stroll in the park the scoreline suggests, with the visitors' stubborn rearguard holding out until the 64th minute to send tension levels soaring inside the Etihad.

In contrast to Liverpool, whose gung-ho approach has cost them precious points in their final two outings, City patiently waited for their moment, maintaining their high-tempo passing game throughout.

The breakthrough came courtesy of striker Edin Dzeko, whose two goals in eight minutes gave City breathing space, before Stevan Jovetic added a third and Yaya Toure rounded off the scoring with a superb individual goal in stoppage-time.

"The way we play, I am very happy to win the title that way," said Pellegrini.

"There are different ways to win the title, I choose this one - this one is attractive football and our fans enjoy the season. You can win titles in another way but for me the aesthetic part of the game is very important."

City have emerged out of the slipstream of their rivals, avoiding the pressure that inevitably comes from leading the field.

They spent the early part of the campaign trailing Arsenal, before Chelsea took up the baton and passed it to Liverpool, while City hovered on their shoulders, behind on points but with games in hand.

When Liverpool folded under the strain, losing at home to Chelsea and giving away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Crystal Palace on Monday, City took their chance and moved to the front.

"It's been a strange season because we were never at the top of the table," Pellegrini said.

"Everybody was talking about us being the favourites but we were nine points behind Liverpool and eight behind Chelsea - we had three games in hand but we had to win all of those games."

GOAL DIFFERENCE

The only way Liverpool can end their 24-year-wait for the title now is if City lose to West Ham and Liverpool win.

If City draw and Liverpool win, City would win the title on goal difference.

City have beaten West Ham three times this season, winning 3-1 at Upton Park in the league and routing the Londoners 9-0 on aggregate in the Capital One (League) Cup semi-finals, so an upset looks unlikely.

The only other outstanding issues to be decided are whether Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United take the final Europa League place and the final confirmation of Norwich City's relegation.

Norwich, who battled to a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday, have 33 points, three behind West Bromwich Albion but with a hugely inferior goal difference they look sure to go down.

Outgoing champions Manchester United and big-spending Tottenham Hotspur have had to lower their ambitions after disappointing seasons.

DUBIOUS CONSOLATION

Both teams would have been confident of challenging for Champions League places, but they changed managers during the campaign and are now eyeing the dubious consolation of a Europa League spot.

Tottenham, in sixth, go into their final match against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane knowing a point would ensure they take the Europa League spot in what could well be Tim Sherwood's last match in charge.

United, who beat FA Cup finalists Hull City 3-1 in their last home match of the season, travel to Southampton in what is almost certain to be interim manager Ryan Giggs's last game in charge with Louis van Gaal expected to be named as the manager following last month's departure of David Moyes.

Only if United won and Spurs lost would United take sixth place thanks to a superior goal difference.

If United fail to do that their 24-year run of European football since English clubs were allowed to compete again after the end of the ban imposed following the Heysel Stadium disaster, will come to an end.

The last time United failed to qualify for Europe before the ban was imposed in 1985 was in 1981 when they finished eighth in the league.

There is little to play for apart from pride and prize money in the other games.

Chelsea travel to bottom club Cardiff who are returning to the Championship after their first season in the top flight since 1962 found them short of class.

Fulham, also doomed after 13 years in the top flight, host the season's most improved team Crystal Palace, who were deep in relegation trouble when coach Tony Pulis arrived in November but have now climbed to 11th.

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