United will be champions if they avoid defeat says Wenger

LONDON COLNEY, England, May 4 (Reuters) Manchester United will end Chelsea's two-year reign as English Premier League champions if they avoid a derby defeat at Manchester City today, the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday.

Wenger, whose team face current champions Chelsea in a London derby on Sunday, said he did not care who became champions, but pledged Arsenal would do their utmost to beat Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

''I think the championship will be decided on Saturday and if Manchester United do not lose, they will be the champions.'' United, beaten in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday by AC Milan, have a five-point advantage over Chelsea, who were eliminated from the Champions League on penalties at Liverpool on Tuesday.

Both clubs have three games remaining and are scheduled to meet at Chelsea on Wednesday. To keep the title race alive, therefore, Chelsea must at least match United's result this weekend.

Chelsea are unbeaten in 11 league games and have not lost to Arsenal for nine matches in all competitions since February 2004, but if United win at City and Chelsea fail to beat Arsenal, United will be champions for the 16th time in their history.

Even if United draw and move on to 86 points and Chelsea lose and stay on 80, United will effectively be champions -- even if they lose at Chelsea on Wednesday -- as their goal difference is so vastly superior.

Asked which team he wanted to see lift the championship, Wenger said: ''I don't mind, I want to see the best team win it.

Both teams have done extremely well.

''Manchester United were many, many times playing before Chelsea and every time Chelsea got the right result and proved they are very strong mentally.

''But what has happened to Chelsea (in the past week) can happen to anybody. Even in a very good season, in a short time you can take two big blows. And that is what happened to them in the last week.'' Chelsea were held 2-2 at home by Bolton Wanderers last Saturday before losing at Liverpool.

Wenger said United and Chelsea, who meet in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 19, were efficient teams that played different kinds of football, adding that Chelsea had very strong, impact players who could clinch games and were strong always in the second half, while United relied more on movement and speed.

But he said no matter how good you are, it was very difficult for teams to recover from Champions League elimination and both United and Chelsea would suffer after-effects.

''It is terrible,'' he said. ''You cannot recover from it, but you have the next game to play. But it takes that kind of flying feeling, of euphoria, away.'' Reuters SSC RS2019