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Benitez & Wenger: Heavyweight clash

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Arsenal entertain rejuvenated Liverpool, while Chelsea and Manchester United face tough examinations on the road at Everton and Aston Villa respectively.

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola will be hoping to keep his head off the chopping block when Birmingham arrive in the capital, while Wolves will be looking to derail Tottenham's tilt at a top-four finish.

Elsewhere, Blackburn and Hull City go head-to-head in a crunch encounter which could go a long way to determining their fate this season.

Wednesday's glamour tie comes at Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal attempt to avoid another crushing blow against in-form Liverpool, live on Sky Sports HD2 and Sky Sports 2.

The Gunners have taken only one point from their last three fixtures, with their last two seeing them suffer demoralising defeats to title-chasing Manchester United and Chelsea.

One crumb of comfort for Arsene Wenger's men ahead of another intriguing contest in midweek is that Liverpool have never taken three points away with them from the Emirates.

The Reds are, however, unbeaten in their last seven and have set their sights on edging out Arsenal in the battle for third place, securing automatic qualification for the UEFA Champions League in the process.

Chelsea continue to lead the way in the Premier League title race, but know they cannot afford any wobbles when they travel to Merseyside to face Everton.

The Blues' cushion at the top has been cut to just two points and it is imperative Carlo Ancelotti's men build on the momentum gained from their impressive victory over Arsenal on Sunday.

They have looked far from assured on their travels of late, and would have been hoping for an easier test than the Toffees in their latest outing, but can still boast a pair of frontmen in fine goalscoring form and a skipper in John Terry who has brushed aside matters concerning his private life and his loss of the England captaincy.

Everton, though, will have been rattled by their derby defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday and will be desperate to put things right when they return to the more comforting surrounds of Goodison Park.

Should Chelsea trip up in the North West, Manchester United will be lying in wait as they attempt to claw their way back to the summit.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men face a tricky trip to Aston Villa in midweek, but have fared admirably on previous visits to the Midlands over the years.

Four consecutive victories, spearheaded by the red-hot Wayne Rooney, have also got the Red Devils buzzing and they will fancy their chances of seeing off Martin O'Neill's plucky Villans.

Villa did claim a memorable 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in December, though, and are looking to complete a league double over United for the first time in 55 years.

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola knows he could be on borrowed time at Upton Park, with co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold breathing down his neck, and the Italian will be all too aware that a positive result against Birmingham is imperative.

The Hammers slipped back into the Premier League relegation zone after going down 2-1 at Burnley over the weekend and are running out of time in their battle to beat the drop.

Zola remains confident his troops are capable of steering a course to safety, but they need to start backing up such soundbites with performances on the field.

They will have their work cut out against Birmingham in midweek, with the Blues having suffered only one defeat in their last 15 top-flight outings and still well on course to push for European qualification.

Wolves have had little to cheer of late, with a six-match winless run dropping them into the bottom three, but they will enter their crunch clash with Tottenham knowing they are capable of upsetting the Londoners.

A 1-0 win at White Hart Lane before Christmas will not have been forgotten, by either side, and Mick McCarthy will be looking for the same spirit to be displayed by his side at Molineux.

Spurs, though, are still pushing hard for a top-four finish and could clamber above Liverpool on Wednesday should they take maximum points off Wolves and the Reds fail to overcome Arsenal.

The final fixture on a busy evening of top-flight entertainment sees Blackburn take on a Hull City side who have begun to show signs of life.

Rovers currently occupy a perch in the relative safety of mid-table, but with only seven points separating them from the drop zone Sam Allardyce will be keen for his side to keep their foot on the gas.

Two wins in 13 games suggest they could yet be dragged into the basement battle, however hard they try, and they could soon find themselves alongside the likes of Hull.

The Tigers have taken four points from fixtures with Chelsea and Manchester City of late, giving them cause for optimism, but they remain only three points clear of trouble and are still looking anxiously over their shoulder.