Man City, Liverpool gear up for final stretch as title battle hots up

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Pic/AFP

Manchester City and Liverpool enter the Premier League home straight this weekend as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes his position in the Manchester United dugout for the first time as permanent boss.

City have eight games to retain their title, but should they slip up, Liverpool are poised to pounce and become English champions for the first time since 1990 by winning their seven matches to come.

Pep Guardiola's City, trailing Liverpool by two points, can crank up the pressure on Jurgen Klopp's side by winning at Championship-bound Fulham today. Liverpool have the far harder task of hosting Tottenham tomorrow, but know that a win will be a huge step towards the title with a relatively kind fixture list to come, barring a home game against Chelsea.

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