Saturday 21 January 2017 15:06, UK
Frosty reception for Diego Costa? Can Zlatan Ibrahimovic do the business on a cold afternoon at Stoke? We ponder 10 Premier League questions ahead of the weekend's action.
Liverpool kick off the weekend's action on Sky Sports, hosting Swansea on Saturday lunchtime, ahead of five 3pm fixtures, where the battle for survival dominates the agenda.
The race for the title takes centre stage on a tasty Nissan Super Sunday triple bill where, after reigning champions Leicester travel to Southampton, Arsenal and Chelsea look to strengthen their bid to succeed the Foxes when they host Burnley and Hull respectively.
But which clubs will seize the initiative at the top and bottom of the table?
Read on for the latest round of Premier League questions...
What reception will Costa get? Chelsea v Hull - Sunday, 4.15pm, Sky Sports 1 HD
It could be a landmark game for Diego Costa on Sunday; his 100th appearance for Chelsea in all competitions.
The chances of him reaching 200 appear to have diminished dramatically over the last week. But he could at least be in contention against Hull after holding "amicable" talks with the club.
Costa has been a key player for Chelsea this season, scoring 14 goals in the Premier League, and Graeme Souness said last week that if he were to leave then the Blues might miss out on the title this season.
But it will be interesting to see what reception he receives from the home fans if he does feature against Hull. The striker has been booed by his own fans in the past in the immediate aftermath of Jose Mourinho's second departure from the club.
Can Clarets stop Giroud? Arsenal v Burnley - Sunday, 2pm, Sky Sports 1 HD
Olivier Giroud is a man in form. Whether it's scoring scorpion kicks or close-range headers, he is finding the net on a regular basis recently.
His goal at Swansea saw him become the first player in nine years to score in five straight games for Arsenal, and he has also netted in each of his last nine starts in all competitions.
Without his goals, Arsenal's position could be bleaker. As it is, they are eight points behind Chelsea and, according to Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry, still in the title race.
Whether Giroud will continue to start when Theo Walcott returns from injury remains to be seen, but for now he is a key player for the Gunners.
Can Saints snap out of it? Southampton v Leicester - Sunday, 11.30am, Sky Sports 1 HD
So far, 2017 has been a bit of a struggle for Southampton. They've played five games, won two, drawn one and lost two.
Their 1-0 defeat at Burnley last weekend saw them slip into the bottom half of the Premier League, and again highlighted the desperate need for a goal-scoring striker.
Saints are the second-lowest scorers in the top-flight this season with 19 goals, and their struggles have hardly been helped by the losses of Charlie Austin (injury) and Sofiane Boufal (Africa Cup of Nations).
"This is difficult for us because we don't have a lot of solutions," admitted manager Claude Puel at the start of the year.
But it is up to Puel to find a solution. If he doesn't then the Saints will continue to slide, and they might soon find themselves in a more precarious position in the table.
Can Liverpool apply some early title pressure? Liverpool v Swansea - Saturday, 12.30pm
Liverpool haven't played the opening game of a round of Premier League fixtures since October 1, with Jurgen Klopp's men often required to respond to their title rivals' results.
This weekend sees the tables turned though, with the Merseysiders presented with the chance to close the gap on the leaders Chelsea to four points ahead of their game with Hull.
Coincidentally, the last time Liverpool partook in the weekend's early kick-off, they beat Saturday's opponents Swansea 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium, James Milner's late penalty securing the point in south Wales.
Liverpool's 1-0 win over Plymouth on Wednesday night was their first win in four games in all competitions.
Can anything separate the Cherries and the Hornets? Bournemouth v Watford - Saturday, 3pm
Both Bournemouth and Watford achieved promotion from the Championship in 2014/15 and followed that up with an assured season in the top-flight last term, avoiding relegation by some way, despite many tipping them for the drop.
Watford may have finished three points ahead of the Cherries last season but in their head-to-head meetings things have been a lot closer.
All three of the Premier League meetings between these sides have ended level (0-0, 1-1 and 2-2), with Watford coming from behind in each score draw.
As the sides prepare for their fourth meeting, can either finally claim the first victory of this new Premier League rivalry?
Will Big Sam break his Premier League duck? Crystal Palace v Everton - Saturday, 3pm
It's fair to say Sam Allardyce hasn't had the impact he, and the Crystal Palace hierarchy, would have wanted following his appointment at Selhurst Park.
On the face of it, the Eagles looked a simple fix for the master of avoiding relegation, but no wins in his first four Premier League games at the club - meaning Palace have won just one of their last 15 games - have given Big Sam plenty to think about.
Coincidentally, Allardyce's last Premier League victory came against Everton, a 3-0 victory in May which secured Sunderland's top-flight status.
A lot has changed for the Toffees since that humbling at the Stadium of Light though, with things starting to click for Ronald Koeman.
But, having beaten former club Bolton in the FA Cup, Allardyce will be keen to transfer that form into the league.
Can Middlesbrough rediscover their goalscoring touch? Middlesbrough v West Ham - Saturday, 3pm
Having scored just one goal in their last four Premier League outings, Middlesbrough find themselves on the periphery of the scrap for survival.
Boro's inability to consistently find the back of the net is becoming a concerning characteristic of their campaign, with the Teessiders having drawn a blank on nine occasions, a joint-league high alongside relegation rivals Hull City.
That being said, Aitor Karanka's men have never failed to score against West Ham at home in the Premier League era.
Rekindling their form in front of goal, and beating a West Ham side who have won just twice on the road, would see Boro move to within two points of the Hammers, and crucially further away from the drop zone.
Can Zlatan cut it on a cold afternoon at Stoke? - Stoke City v Man Utd, 3pm
Before he had even kicked a ball in England, Zlatan Ibrahimovic's ability to replicate his prolific goalscoring form at Manchester United was cast into doubt.
However, 14 Premier League goals, 19 in all competitions for United, have put paid to the Swede's doubters.
But this weekend arguably presents the greatest challenge of Ibrahimovic's time in English football to date, a potentially tricky trip to the bet365 Stadium.
It's often asked if foreign imports have what it takes to perform at Stoke's notoriously hostile ground. Should Zlatan fire United back to winning ways after salvaging a draw against Liverpool, it would be yet another obstacle he has brushed aside.
Can someone else chip in for Sunderland? West Brom v Sunderland - Saturday, 3pm
"Relying on Jermain Defoe to keep Sunderland in the league or indeed push up the league, I don't think they can go through the year with just that."
To say the Black Cats have not heeded the warning from their former striker Niall Quinn last summer would be an understatement.
Defoe has scored 12 of Sunderland's 20 Premier League goals this season, with only three other players - Victor Anichebe, Patrick van Aanholt and Fabio Borini - finding the net.
So reliant are Sunderland on Defoe that it is little surprise every pundit has implored them to do whatever to takes to keep hold of him in January. Yet if there was more help for the striker from other players around the pitch, perhaps Sunderland would have a better chance of moving out of the relegation zone for the first time since September.
It says plenty about their struggles in recent years that David Moyes will be their ninth different manager to take charge of a Premier League game at The Hawthorns; in only the Black Cats' 10th visit there.
Can City bounce back? Man City v Tottenham - Saturday, 5.30pm
When City lost to Spurs earlier in their season - ending their unbeaten start to the campaign - Pep Guardiola said his side would "learn from it... learn what we haven't done properly and keep going".
City have indeed kept going, but have they learnt from it? Defeats to Leicester, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton suggest they still have some work to do. In fact, Guardiola's gloomy expressions during the 4-0 defeat at Goodison Park last Sunday told much of the story.
City have responded to some of their previous setbacks this season, beating Arsenal a week after losing to Leicester and thrashing West Ham after unconvincing displays against Liverpool and Burnley.
Guardiola will be looking for another response on Saturday against a Spurs side looking to win seven league games in a row for the first time since 1967.
