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London. Chelsea will head into Sunday’s final day of the English Premier League season knowing that any slip up against visiting Wigan is likely to give Manchester United the chance to win an unprecedented fourth straight title.

Chelsea did lose at Wigan 3-1 earlier this season, but is in rich form and is expected to cruise to victory over the Latics on the same day United hosts Stoke.

Chelsea and United have traded first place since the end of August, but the Blues are an overwhelming favorite to win the title after spending all but one day at the top of the table since April 3.

After nine goals in its past two matches, the biggest obstacle to Chelsea’s first league title since 2006 could be how it copes with the pressure of being favorite.

“If we don’t capitalize on Sunday, all that work will be in vain,” Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou said.

But British bookmaker William Hill rates Chelsea as a 1-12 favorite to reclaim the title from United, which is a 6-1 outsider to overcome a one-point deficit.

And Chelsea has already shown spirit by overcoming every setback this season in style. It rebounded from its Champions League exit with an unbeaten run that included victory at United and an FA Cup semifinal win, before following last month’s surprise loss at Tottenham with a third seven-goal win of the season and a 2-0 victory at Liverpool.

Kalou said the key was to treat each game of equal importance.

“We are just training like we train before every game, and even if it is the most important game of the season, if we play like we know how to play then it should be a nice game to watch,” Kalou said.

“We should go there and enjoy the moment because you don’t get these opportunities always.

“Playing for the title in front of your own supporters, we have to enjoy that and make them enjoy it as well, and hopefully in the end we can all celebrate together.”

United can only go for victory over an obdurate Stoke side and hope for Wigan to do it a favor, such as when it drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge two years ago.

“It’s been a weird season,” United defender Rio Ferdinand said. “Hopefully that will bode well for Chelsea’s game on Sunday.”

United has lost seven matches, more than any season since 2003-04, but the most crucial could turn out to be the 2-1 home loss to Chelsea on April 3.

“When you leave it in the hands of others, you’ve got to take the punishment for it,” United captain Gary Neville.

“We did our job, which is all we could do. Now we hope something can happen this Sunday.

“We’ll be kicking ourselves come the end of the season if it doesn’t go our way on Sunday. It’s been a crazy season and I hope we don’t come to regret it come Sunday evening, but if we do, then we’ll learn from that for next season.”

Also on Sunday, Arsenal tries to hang onto third place and an automatic Champions League berth when it hosts Fulham. A fourth defeat in five matches would give Tottenham the chance to snatch third place when it plays at relegated Burnley.

“I just wanted to make sure we got there and finished fourth,” Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said after Wednesday’s 1-0 win at Manchester City clinched a place in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League. “The chairman has just said to me, ‘Who have Arsenal got on Sunday?’

“But I doubt very much whether that will happen.”

Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool are already assured of places in the second-tier Europa League, while the relegation places have been filled by Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull.



Associated Press