THE rest of the country might be obsessing about the possibility of Liverpool wrecking Chelsea’s title hopes this weekend, but Lorik Cana feels more attention should be paid to Sunderland’s chances of derailing Manchester United’s championship charge on the same afternoon.

If Chelsea win at Anfield on Sunday, Manchester United will have to claim all three points at the Stadium of Light to keep their hopes of winning a record 19th league title alive.

Nationally, the game has been overshadowed by the build up to Chelsea’s final away game of the season, but Cana claims it would be wrong to write off Sunderland’s chances of determining the fate of the title race.

The Black Cats have only suffered two home defeats all season, with Chelsea claiming a 3-1 win last August and Aston Villa leaving Wearside with all three points in mid- December.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Premier League leaders are the only side who can better that record, a fact that gives Sunderland considerable cause for optimism ahead of their final home game of the campaign.

“Manchester United are one of the best teams in the country – maybe the world – so it is not going to be easy for us against them,” said Cana.

“But our run at home is a fantastic one and I see no reason why we cannot have a big say in who wins the title this weekend.

“We have only lost two games at home all season.

One of those was against Chelsea, who can beat anyone on their day, and the other was against Aston Villa, who also won at Old Trafford.

“Our home record is one of the best in the league. We have won 34 points at home, so I don’t think anyone should be underestimating what we are capable of. We are a really, really tough team to beat at home.

“If Manchester United want to win the league, they are going to have to come and beat us at the Stadium of Light. Of course, they have the players and team to do that – that’s completely normal for a team at the top of the league - but I can promise you it will not be easy.

“We are not looking at the game in terms of the title race – we want to do our job for ourselves and our fans – but it would be wrong to think that Chelsea are the only team with a difficult game this weekend.”

As if Sunderland’s formidable home record is not enough of a psychological boost, Steve Bruce’s side can also draw further solace from their performance against Manchester United last October.

The Black Cats came within seconds of a first win at Old Trafford since 1968, only for Anton Ferdinand’s stoppagetime own goal to enable the reigning champions to scrape a 2-2 draw.

Sunderland were the better side for large periods of that game, and Cana sees no reason why they cannot produce a repeat performance in three days time.

“We have already shown what we are capable of against Manchester United once this season,” said the Albania international, who returned from a groin injury to make a late substitute appearance in last weekend’s 1-0 win at Hull.

“We played an unbelievable game at Old Trafford and should have won the match. It was at a time when everyone was confident and fit, and that was important, but I don’t think too many people expected us to push them so close at their own ground. We came away with a very good draw, and nearly won the game.”

The stakes are undoubtedly higher for Manchester United in this weekend’s rematch, but Cana has been quick to rebuff suggestions that Sunderland have nothing to play for given their mid-table position.

“There’s a lot of incentive because it’s our last game at home,” he said. “It’s our chance to put on a performance for the fans and thank them for their support this season. They deserve the final game to be special.

“We also have a major goal of finishing in the top half, and we will probably have to get a result against Manchester United to do that. If we finish in the top ten, it will have been a decent season for us.”

While Cana is available for Sunday’s game, Andy Reid will not be considered after undergoing calf surgery earlier this week.

The 27-year-old suffered a calf injury as he recovered from a hamstring problem sustained in February, but Sunderland’s medics are confident he will be fit for the start of pre-season training.