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Sports

QPR hoping to stay afloat on Survival Sunday

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Manchester, England – The Premier League title chase will cross paths with the battle against relegation this weekend as lowly QPR heads to the Etihad to face first-place Manchester City on Survival Sunday.

QPR enters its final match fourth from bottom in England's top flight, needing just a point to likely ensure its safety. The club sits two points ahead of Bolton but maintains a firm nine-goal advantage in goal differential.

It will be a tall order to take points off of in-form City, but defender Anton Ferdinand believes that his side should not be written off.

"City have got a lot riding on this match but so have we," Ferdinand told London Call-In - QPR's online phone-in show. "This game determines whether people keep their jobs or not at our club. We have got to do our best to make sure we stay in the Premier League, so that every single person at this club keeps their jobs.

"It's about us. It's not about Manchester City. They are a fantastic team but so are we on our day."

QPR will have some extra incentive to claim an improbable result at the Etihad. Rangers manager Mark Hughes was previously at the helm of the Manchester club before getting the sack in December of 2009, and he would love to put one over on his old side.

City will clinch the title with three points Sunday, assuming that Manchester United does not overturn an eight-goal gap in goal differential against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Should City defeat QPR, the door would be left wide open for Bolton to remain in the Premier League as a win at the Britannia against Stoke City would be enough to see the Trotters stay afloat.

The race for fourth place will also culminate Sunday as three teams separated by just two points will battling for European spots. Third-place Arsenal will head to the Hawthorns to face West Bromwich, fourth-place Tottenham welcomes Fulham to White Hart Lane and fifth-place Newcastle squares off against Everton at Goodison Park.

Three points for Everton against Newcastle will ensure that the Toffees finish above fierce rivals Liverpool, which concludes its Premier League season with a trip to Swansea City.

Wrapping the 2011-12 Premier League campaign, Chelsea hosts Championship-bound Blackburn, Norwich City hosts Aston Villa and Wigan hosts Wolverhampton.