Manchester United looks to avoid jittery finish to title race

The English Premier League title is tantalizingly in reach for Manchester United,yet the jitters could begin to set in if the team fails to beat relegation-haunted Stoke on Sunday.

The anguish of its end-of-season meltdown last year,when Manchester City came from eight points down with six matches left to snatch the title from its fiercest rival,has been the driving force behind United’s charge to a 20th league championship.

United saw its advantage over City cut to 12 points with a defeat in the Manchester derby and will be anxious to wrap the title up as quickly as possible this time round.

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United manager Alex Ferguson says “the incentives are there for ourselves in the sense of we’ve only got seven games left.”

City is inactive in the league this weekend,as it plays Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinals on Sunday.