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 | | Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp will face off this weekend | Cruising at the top of the English Premier League and going strong in Europe and the FA Cup, Manchester United are aiming to take the League Cup title away from Tottenham in the final at Wembley on Sunday.
The Red Devils have the chance of capturing all three domestic titles as well as the Champions League this season. The first trophy could come this weekend when they meet defending champions Spurs, whose form is erratic and go into the final only three days after a Uefa Cup game. With a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League, Alex Ferguson's side goes into the game knowing that, even if Liverpool win at Middlesbrough on Saturday, United will still have a healthy lead and a game in hand. Cruise control United also played impressively against Italian champions and Serie A leader Inter Milan in a 0-0 Champions League draw at San Siro on Tuesday and have a five-day break before the final. The pressure on Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, however, just won't go away as he and his club face a return to Wembley against a team that won both the Premier and Champions Leagues last season. "Going back to Wembley is a big day for the club," said Redknapp, who last season led Portsmouth to an FA Cup triumph at the home of English football, while Spurs beat Chelsea in the League Cup final with Juande Ramos in charge. "You're playing against the best team in Europe." Tottenham won 2-1 at Hull on Monday to ease their relegation fears and Redknapp announced a below strength squad for Thursday's Uefa Cup game at home to Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine. "I hear criticism after not putting my best team out against Shakhtar but Martin O'Neill has left nine out of his Aston Villa team to go to Moscow," Redknapp said. "He has his priorities right because he wants to finish high in the Premier League. "We want to stay in the Premier League so you have to prioritise." Cautious pickings Because defender Vedran Corluka and striker Roman Pavlyuchenko are not eligible to play in the Uefa Cup, they are certain to face United. Redknapp has rested Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Luka Modric to make sure they are fit for the final. United did not even use Carlos Tevez in the game against Inter, while Wayne Rooney only went on as a late substitute. That means both are likely to start against Spurs at Wembley. "The best part of the season is coming up," Tevez said on Thursday. "We're in the last 16 of the Champions League, we are top of the league and we're in the Carling (League) Cup final. "We want to win everything, that's what the fans are demanding, and we will try to win on all fronts. Let's hope we can do that." While the first domestic title of the season is decided at Wembley, Liverpool return from their 1-0 Champions League victory at Real Madrid hoping to make up ground on United in the Premier League.  | | Liverpool are hoping Steven Gerrard will be a starter for the Middlesbrough clash |
Injury concerns Striker Fernando Torres is a major doubt for the game at Middlesbrough, however, after he picked up an ankle injury in the first minute against Madrid and hobbled off after an hour. There is hope that captain Steven Gerrard will start the game, however. He had been out of action for three weeks before making an 87th minute appearance as a substitute in Madrid. Next-to-last Middlesbrough will be boosted by Wednesday's 2-0 FA Cup victory over West Ham. Third-place Chelsea, who host Wigan and are 10 points behind United in the title race, beat Juventus 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday and Guus Hiddink, who is in charge until the end of the season, was critical of the team's fitness and failure to score more. "I am satisfied that we won but overall I am not satisfied with the performance," said Hiddink, who is also coach of Russia's national team. "I was not happy with the functionality of the team but we will improve it. They are not at tip-top physical level." Fourth-place Aston Villa should profit from a home game against Stoke, and Arsenal, who are fifth and 17 points behind Man United, should beat Fulham at the Emirates Stadium. Sixth-place Everton host West Bromwich Albion, who are last. Sunday's other games are Bolton vs. Newcastle, Hull vs. Blackburn, West Ham vs. Manchester City.
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Tags: League Cup
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