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Leicester seek to clinch title with win at Old Trafford

Artist Richard Wilson spray paints a mural of Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri in Leicester, Britain April 29, 2016. REUTERS/Darren Staples (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) - The champagne is at the ready, the Premier League trophy in place but what used to be a routine occurrence at Old Trafford will have a surreal twist on Sunday if Leicester City beat Manchester United there to clinch the title. Leicester's cast-iron nerve has held firm when many expected them to fade and three points at the home of the club that used to perennially rule the roost will ensure their metamorphosis from relegation candidates to English champions is complete. "Once in a life it can happen," Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri said on Friday as he contemplated the prospect of Leicester winning their first top-flight title. "That is football. Once every 50 years a little team with less money can beat the biggest." Only Tottenham Hotspur can catch Leicester, but they will be knocked out of the equation if 20-times champions United succumb to Ranieri's relentless side on Sunday. A Leicester draw would leave them eight points ahead of Tottenham who would then need to beat Chelsea away on Monday to take the title race to the penultimate weekend. Should Leicester, who will be without suspended top scorer Jamie Vardy, lose then Tottenham would stay alive with even a draw at Stamford Bridge. (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ian Chadband)