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Manuel Pellegrini has gone on the attack before Sunday’s title crunch at Liverpool by claiming it would be bad for the game if Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea ended up as champions, writes Steve Bates in the Sunday People.

And the Manchester City manager has also turned his sights on Brendan Rodgers, insisting the Kop boss and Mourinho are fibbing when they say they are not feeling the pressure of the race for the Premier League.

Pellegrini’s third-placed Blues are four points behind leaders Liverpool but have two games in hand as they arrive at Anfield.

City’s Chilean boss will stick to his principles and set up his stars to win what promises to be an all-out attack fest from the top flight’s two big scorers.

And Pellegrini believes if anyone deserves to win the title it should not be cautious Mourinho, but City or Rodgers' Reds – because of the way they have both rampaged through the campaign in a blizzard of goals.

Liverpool have scored 25 more than Chelsea and City 19 more than the Londoners, making the two north-west giants the league’s great entertainers.

Pellegrini said: ”It would be very disappointing if either of the two teams who scored the most goals don’t win the league. For football, for the fans, for everyone it would be disappointing.

"I think that the most attractive football, the more goals you can score, should be rewarded.

“I’m not saying it’s not important to defend very well because, of course, football is about attacking and defending. But big teams must play as big teams.”

And the City boss had another dig at his main rivals, claiming he is being honest when he says he and his players are aware of the pressure – while Mourinho and Rodgers are not being truthful.

“If they say they aren’t favourites or feeling any pressure, I don’t believe them,” said Pellegrini. “My philosophy on this is absolutely different. Maybe they are both covering themselves if they don’t win the title.

“But I don’t think either of the managers feels that is the reality.

“I have managed Real Madrid against Barcelona and managed teams in Buenos Aires derbies in Argentina but it doesn’t mean I won’t feel any pressure.

“Do their players believe what their managers say? I don’t know what their players think.

“I could say to my players, ‘We don’t have any pressure to win, because this is my first season here in England so it is very difficult for me, maybe next season or the third season I will win everything.’

“I don’t think that would work. Pressure is the reality of what happens in every big club. I don’t think players agree that they don’t have a chance of winning the title.

“Not when they are one point or two points off the top of the table. When they are 10 points away, of course maybe. But I don’t think Chelsea players or Liverpool players or Arsenal players believe they don’t have pressure to win the title. That cannot be true.”

With Sergio Aguero fit and ready to play a part at Anfield, Pellegrini will order his stars to try to put City firmly in control of their title destiny.

He said: “A draw would open the door for Chelsea, of course.

“After that, if Chelsea and Liverpool draw when they play, that would be important for us. We have to play for 21 more points and that’s a lot of points and that’s why I refuse to say this game is defining.

“I will accept we can be champions only when the mathematics say we can win the title.’’