EPL conclusion a fizzer

The European Champions League might be headed for a thrilling climax with Barcelona and Manchester United now on a collision course for a potentially epic semi-final but unfortunately the same cannot be said of the English Premier League.

The EPL might be the most watched domestic football competition in the world and usually the start of April signals the most exciting time of all - but not this year.

That is because the three main issues - the title, the four Champions League places for next year and the three relegation positions - appear to be all but settled even with six matches remaining.

This is not how it is meant to be in the EPL where epic relegation battles at least usually go down to the last day of the season.

But this year's climax to the season is shaping more as an anti-climax and indeed it is more than likely that heading into the last day of the season on May 11 that every final-round match could effectively be a dead rubber.

In the race for the title, Manchester United looks set to defend its crown having opened up a five-point lead, plus goal difference, at the top of the table over Chelsea with Arsenal a point further back in third place.

And while Arsenal still has to visit Old Trafford on April 13 and the Red Devils still have to go to Stamford Bridge on April 26, right now Sir Alex Ferguson's team is getting stronger with six straight wins while Chelsea and Arsenal, which won for the first time in five matches last weekend, are struggling to keep up.

Indeed, if Manchester United beats both Arsenal on April 13 and then Chelsea it could clinch the title with two games remaining in the season.

However, the Gunners and the Blues are assured of finishing in the top four and increasingly it looks like fourth-placed Liverpool is also after the Reds opened up a five-point gap over local rivals Everton last week in the race for that last Champions League place.

Again, with just six matches remaining it is hard to see Everton bridging that gap and it appears that a place in Europe's secondary competition next season - the UEFA Cup - is the best the Toffees can hope for this season.

Even at the bottom of the ladder it's a similar story.

Derby was officially doomed to relegation last weekend - the first time a team has ever suffered that fate in March - and Bolton and Fulham look certain to join them.

The London club finds itself six points plus goal difference from safety with just six matches remaining while Bolton is still four points adrift after its devastating 3-2 loss to Arsenal last week when it surrendered a 2-0 lead.

The only saving grace for that pair is the two teams immediately above them in Wigan and Birmingham meet this weekend but realistically they are the only two teams that Bolton and Fulham look capable of catching with Reading and the north-east trio of Sunderland, Middlesbrough and a Newcastle side revived under Kevin Keegan looking increasingly safe.

So it adds up to a rare humdrum end to an EPL season but after a season which has thrown up numerous other surprises - particularly in the FA Cup where only one premiership team in Portsmouth has reached this weekend's semi-finals - perhaps it was asking a bit much for its usual epic ending.