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Who? - Michael Owen - Speculation Where is he? - Newcastle United Who is he linked with? - Manchester United

Manchester United are hoping to sign Michael Owen in the summer, according to reports. Sir Alex Ferguson's side have made informal contact with Newcastle over a deal for the England star. It is thought Ferguson wants to bring in at least one more forward in the close-season and he has been linked with Dutch star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar this week. However, he is now thought to have turned his attention to Owen who he believes he can land for 7million. Owen has yet to sign a new contract at St James' Park.

Who? - Dean Ashton - Speculation Where is he? - West Ham United Who is he linked with? - Manchester United

West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley has said the club will not sell their big stars, including Dean Ashton. Manchester United have been linked with a summer move for Ashton in recent weeks, but Curbishley insists the Hammers are not a selling club. "Every club outside the top four has this problem every summer," he said. "Even Spurs and people like that are going to come under pressure. But since the new group took over West Ham we have tried to push forward and I don't see selling players as a way of pushing forward. The people who left last summer [Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood, Yossi Benayoun] asked to go and we wanted to have a change around. I want to see certain combinations of players that I haven't had a chance to see. I want to play Craig Bellamy with Dean Ashton. I am enthusiastic about when we join up again."

Who? - Patrik Berger - Speculation Where is he? - Aston Villa Who is he linked with? - Portsmouth

Aston Villa forward Patrik Berger is being linked with a return to Portsmouth this summer. The Czech international will leave Villa Park at the end of the season, and was a target of Harry Redknapp's in January. Berger played at Fratton Park between 2003 and 2005, in which time he scored eight times in 52 games. He said: "I want to spend at least another year in the Premier League before going home."

The maths are simple for Manchester United beat Wigan Athletic on Saturday and they will win their tenth Premier League title.

There is little point in attempting to calculate the scorelines required for Chelsea - who go into the weekend level on points with United - to come top should both clubs win as United have a goal difference of plus 56 to their 39.

Anything other than three points would count as one of the great footballing shocks. Not only are United one of the finest teams when playing under pressure, they are also tasked with beating one of their favourite opponents.

Since Wigan's promotion to the top-flight in 2005, United have won every game with an overall scoreline of 20-3. That includes three 4-0 victories in six games, the latest coming in October of last year. A team of consummate professionals, United will do anything but take their opponents lightly and this week Ryan Giggs spoke words of caution regarding the team managed by former Red Devil Steve Bruce.

"It's going to be a tough game. Wigan have got some decent players. They showed that when they played Chelsea and got a draw," said the veteran winger. That 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge a month ago was followed by draws with Spurs and Reading and, most recently, an impressive 2-0 win away at Aston Villa.Speaking after that match, Bruce said: "It's as good as I've ever done in management, in terms of where we were going into the Blackburn game in mid-December with nine points."To get 31 points since the turn of the year is fantastic for the players. I'm delighted we've managed to do it and do it in some style against Villa who have been playing well." Bruce is likely to stick with the same team that impressed last weekend, including two-goal hero and reported United transfer target Antonio Valencia, as their squad is relatively free of injury and suspension.

United are still waiting on the fitness of central defender Nemanja Vidic, who suffered a concussion after a collision with Didier Drogba two weeks ago, although he is expected to be fit enough to play. His appearance would force Wes Brown to move to right-back, despite impressing recently in the centre, freeing up Owen Hargreaves to replace the suspended Nani in midfield.

Three points against Bolton Wanderers on Sunday may not be enough, but Chelsea intend to fight Manchester United all the way in the race for this season's Premier League title.
This is the fourth time the title race has gone right to the final game of the season and Chelsea know that a victory for them over a Bolton side who secured their own safety last week and a slip up by United at Wigan could see them crowned surprise champions.

Ahead of this titanic final weekend, manager Avram Grant has attempted to up the pressure on the Red Devils after insisting it is they and not his side that need to perform.

Bank Holiday Monday's 2-0 win over Newcastle United - secured courtesy of goals from Michael Ballack and Florent Malouda - kept them level on points with the leaders, albeit with a vastly inferior goal difference."The pressure is on them," said Grant. "I said we will never give up. We have given a good, good battle."Nobody thought about us as a candidate for champions. We will keep on fighting." Grant is likely to recall Frank Lampard and Joe Cole to his midfield after dropping the pair to the bench against Newcastle, while Ricardo Carvalho is expected to be fit despite limping off last weekend with a back injury.

Former Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka could return to the bench after scoring just twice in 23 appearances since his £15million move in January. Bolton are not mathematically safe from relegation, but Gary Megson's side would only lose their top-flight status in extraordinary circumstances. The 16th placedTrotters have a much better goal difference that both Fulham and Reading, so even if they moved level on 36 points at the foot of the table with victories, the Reebok Stadium outfit would still survive.Megson's side seemed certain to join Derby County in the Championship next season when they were thrashed 4-0 by Aston Villa in early April.
However, a run of three wins and a draw in their last four matches, culminating in Saturday's 2-0 victory against Sunderland, has almost certainly guaranteed Bolton a place in next season's Premier League.

Nicky Hunt (shoulder) and Jussi Jaaskelainen (back) will take no part in the final weekend of fixtures with long-term injuries, while El Hadji Diouf will make his last appearance in a Bolton shirt after revealing a desire to leave.

Chelsea were 1-0 winners when the sides met at the Reebok Stadium back in October with Salomon Kalou on the mark.

Rangers survived a late rally by Dundee United as they gained another crucial three points in the title race. This victory means the Gers have cut the gap on table-topping Celtic to one point and Walter Smith's side still have a game in hand. The Ibrox team looked to have sewn the game up with two early goals from Nacho Novo.

However, Mark De Vries' header 14 minutes from time led to an anxious few minutes for Rangers until substitute Jean-Claude Darcheville slid home their third goal in the last minute.

Rangers looked jaded in the second half but still managed to grind out an important victory.
United's Noel Hunt missed the target with a header before Rangers took the lead after only seven minutes. Novo was left unmarked and, from six yards, headed home Kevin Thomson's curling free-kick.

Rangers increased their lead 11 minutes later when Novo got behind Michael Kovacevic and hit a wonderful 20-yard left-footed shot into the top corner of the net. Novo and Kirk Broadfoot both went close to scoring a third goal before David Weir cleared David Robertson's net-bound shot from inside his six-yard area with keeper Neil Alexander stranded. The Rangers shot-stopper then made a good save to keep out De Vries' shot.

United were far more positive at the start of the second half and, after Weir's mistake, the centre-back appeared to foul Hunt as he cut across him but the visitors' appeals for a penalty were amazingly waved away by the referee.

Novo wasted a good chance before Christian Dailly's shot came back off the post after Novo's corner had been cleared to him.

United thought they had reduced the deficit when Danny Swanson's shot deflected off Weir past Alexander, but the goal was ruled out for offside with the linesman thinking the ball had come off De Vries.

De Vries finally scored for United with a powerful 12-yard header but Rangers responded well and, after Broadfoot had chipped a left-foot effort just wide, Darcheville slid home a last-minute goal after good work by Novo and Barry Ferguson.

Darlington substitute Ian Miller grabbed a vital last-gasp winner for Dave Penney's side as the Quakers edged out Rochdale 2-1.

But Dale will still fancy their chances of making the League Two play-off final after a blistering display in the north-east heat.

Despite the importance of the game neither side showed any nerves in a busy opening to the match. Darlington attacked from the first whistle, but a cross from defender Ben Parker was too deep.

Rochdale keeper Tommy Lee had to be at his best in the seventh minute when saving a shot from Scott Wiseman and he then denied Rob Purdie three minutes later.

In between those two efforts, Dale striker Chris Dagnall had seized possession from Alan White and from 20 yards saw his curling shot beat keeper David Stockdale and then crash against the crossbar.

The game settled down after the frantic start and, in the 28th minute, the deadlock was broken when Quakers midfielder Jason Kennedy fired a curling right-foot drive into the top corner of the net from the edge of the area.

There were further chances for both sides in a pulsating opening 45 minutes. Darlington defender White headed a corner from Parker narrowly wide in the 33rd minute and then, two minutes later, Dale captain Gary Jones fired well wide from a good position.

Darlington striker Tommy Wright headed over in the 47th minute as the hosts looked to increase their lead and give themselves a cushion going into the second leg at Spotland.
Dagnall again went close in the 54th minute when he burst into the area but failed to hit the target and then Darlington were unfortunate when Wright hobbled off in the 64th minute.
Six minutes later Rochdale were level when Dagnall's shot took a wicked deflection which left Stockdale wrong-footed.

In the final ten minutes Darlington lost two more players when Parker and White went off with leg injuries. However, substitutes Neil Wainwright and Miller combined in stoppage time. Miller headed in Wainwright's free-kick from six yards to give Darlington a narrow advantage.

David Noble scored a superb stoppage-time winner as Bristol City beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at Selhurst Park.


After a tight first half, the game really opened up after the interval with Louis Carey turning from hero to villain as he opened the scoring for the Robins before giving away a late penalty from which Neil Warnock's side equalised.


But it was Noble who had the final say and Gary Johnson's side now hold the upper-hand going into the second leg at Ashton Gate on Tuesday. The visitors edged a nervy first period with Palace keeper Julian Speroni forced to make one superb save to keep Dele Adebola's header out.
However, Palace also went close to breaking the deadlock with Scott Sinclair's weak effort being cleared off the line after Adriano Basso had been beaten, while Clinton Morrison also shot straight at the City keeper.


Sinclair almost won a penalty as well but Nick Carle's foul was adjudged to be just outside the area and Danny Butterfield's free-kick was saved by Basso. After the break Ben Watson fired a shot inches wide for Palace before Carey gave the visitors the lead in the 54th minute after a well-worked free-kick.


City's captain scored his first goal of the season after Noble and Carle combined to create the opening for him to curl a fantastic effort past Speroni.


Palace's woes intensified when Warnock brought substitute James Scowcroft on, only for the striker to almost immediately suffer a recurrence of the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last month.


Carey's strike appeared to have won the game for City until the defender brought down Jose Miguel Fonte with only four minutes left and Watson kept his nerve to fire his penalty past Basso.


It seemed certain that the match would end level but, after it was announced that there would be five minutes of stoppage time, former West Ham United trainee Noble hit a perfect 30-yard effort into the net to hand the advantage to the Robins.