Manchester City's Premier League title fate rests solely in their hands.
Forget about Liverpool, if Pep Guardiola's side win their remaining three games they will retain their top-flight crown.
However, former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson reckons City could be crowned champions before their final match of the season away to Brighton because Jurgen Klopp's men have a difficult trip to Newcastle in their penultimate fixture of the campaign on May 4.
If Liverpool lose at St James' Park, City can wrap up the title against Leicester two days later provided they beat Burnley on Sunday.
“Rafa [Benitez] is Newcastle manager and he has to get the best out of his team," Lawrenson explained. “You know with Rafa, he won’t be bothered about the past. He’ll just be saying, ‘Come on…’
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“Rafa will be very, very capable of stopping Liverpool on that day. He’s never going to change and against the top six, he sets out in such a way that he makes it very, very difficult.
“They’re not going to lie down and have their tummies tickled because it’s not the Rafa way. I’ve thought for a couple of weeks that Newcastle is the ‘hiccup’ game if there’s going to be one.
“We’ve seen him do it before. Especially at home it makes it so, so difficult and they’re on a decent run of form. Rafa won’t lie down at all.”
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