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Reds next for Harry; Hull tackle United; Chelsea meet Black Cats

By Rob Parrish Last updated: 31st October 2008

Redknapp: Liverpool test

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Everton v Fulham
Chelsea v Sunderland
Man Utd v Hull
Middlesbrough v West Ham
Portsmouth v Wigan
Stoke v Arsenal
West Brom v Blackburn
Spurs v Liverpool
Bolton v Man City

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Harry Redknapp's next challenge with Tottenham sees unbeaten Premier League leaders Liverpool arrive at White Hart Lane.

Having disposed of Bolton just hours after Redknapp's shock arrival from Portsmouth, Spurs then stunned North London rivals Arsenal to snatch a point at Emirates Stadium despite trailing 4-2 in the 89th minute.

Despite taking four points from Redknapp's first two games in charge, Spurs continue to prop up the rest of the division and Rafa Benitez's Reds will present the sternest challenge yet for their new boss.

The Anfield outfit have dropped points in just two of their 10 league outings to date to move efficiently to the league summit with impressive victories over Chelsea and Manchester United already under their belts.

Benitez has been determined to play down talk of a sustained title challenge after so many previous false dawns, and now has to prepare for a meeting with a Spurs side high on confidence, but low on defensive strength with Heurelho Gomes more of a danger to his own players than the ball.

The side Redknapp left behind, Portsmouth, were the latest to leave Anfield empty-handed on Wednesday night with Tony Adams' first game in charge ending in a 1-0 defeat.

Adams' decision to leave leading scorer Jermain Defoe on the bench for 85 minutes raised eyebrows, but the former England international insists the decision was purely tactical.

Defoe can expect to be restored to the starting XI alongside Peter Crouch on Saturday when Wigan make the trip to Fratton Park desperate to avoid a fifth successive defeat.

A promising start to the season by Steve Bruce's side has been undermined in recent weeks by losses against Fulham, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Middlesbrough which has seen them slide into the bottom three.

Wrath

Bolton are another team who appear to be downwardly mobile at present, with four defeats in their last six games leaving them in 19th place ahead of Sunday's clash with North West rivals Manchester City, live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1.

Gary Megson has never been universally accepted at the Reebok Stadium and was again subjected to the wrath of some fans after Wednesday night's 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Everton.

Mark Hughes' City side claim to have long-term ambitions of challenging for honours at home and abroad, but their current inconsistency may temper hopes of bringing in more star names during the January transfer window.

Everton's triumph at Bolton was the third on their travels this term, but they are yet to collect a three-point haul at Goodison Park in five attempts.

Fulham are the next visitors to the blue half of Merseyside on Saturday, with the match live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1, as Andy Johnson returns to his former club.

Johnson broke his duck for the Cottagers with a brace in the midweek win over Wigan to bring up his century of career league goals and will be eager to add to that tally against David Moyes' men.

Back at the Premier League summit, Chelsea can regain top spot - albeit temporarily - if they can overcome Sunderland at Stamford Bridge.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's side proved there was no hangover from the loss of their 86-game unbeaten home league record in midweek as they took advantage of some uncharacteristic defensive deficiencies from Hull to claim a 3-0 win at the KC Stadium.

Roy Keane's side were less successful at their attempt to build on Saturday's thrilling North East derby victory over Newcastle as they were the latest team to come unstuck against Stoke and Rory Delap's long throws.

Few sides have been able to cope with the additional pressure which Delap's delivery provides, and Arsenal's jittery defenders are the next in the firing line on Saturday.

Having thrown away a 3-1 lead and then a 4-2 advantage against Spurs, Arsene Wenger is all too aware that the Gunners cannot afford to keep dropping points if they are to remain in title contention.

Stoke's victory against the Black Cats lifted them out of the bottom three, and they now stand two points above the drop zone and two away from a place in the top half in a tightly-packed Premier League table.

Scowl

The fixture compilers have not been kind to Hull with a trip to Manchester United following hot on the heels of their home meeting with Chelsea.

Phil Brown's Tigers already have victories at Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle under their belts, but an in-form Red Devils will again test last season's play-off winners to the limit.

Cristiano Ronaldo suggested he is coming back to his best form with a brace against West Ham in midweek, while Sir Alex Ferguson was able to leave Wayne Rooney on the bench for much of the match.

After a promising start to life at West Ham, Gianfranco Zola has now witnessed a run of four successive defeats which threatens to see the Hammers dragged into a relegation battle as they make the trip to Middlesbrough.

With just one goal scored in that run, it is clear the Upton Park outfit could do with Zola on the pitch, rather than seeing him sat on the bench with his trademark smile rapidly turning into a scowl.

Boro are into the top half thanks to their midweek victory over City, but have just a three-point cushion over Stoke and West Brom, with North East rivals Newcastle lurking just a point further back.

Saturday's final fixture sees West Brom welcoming Blackburn to the Hawthorns, with both teams having suffered defeats in their midweek fixtures as the Baggies went down 2-1 at Newcastle, while Rovers lost out in a five-goal encounter against Aston Villa.

With respective meetings against Liverpool and Chelsea looming on the horizon, both sides will see the weekend clash as an ideal opportunity to get points on the board before the more testing challenges that lie ahead.