Manchester City will be hoping to put domestic and European disappointments behind them, while table-topping Arsenal look to make it 11 wins in a row.
City face Toffees; United tackle Cats; Spurs host Hammers
Manchester City will be hoping to put domestic and European disappointments behind them, while table-topping Arsenal look to make it 11 wins in a row.
Manchester United also need to offer a response as focus switches back to Premier League competition, in front of the
Sky Sports cameras, and Chelsea will attempt to keep pace with the early front-runners.
The weekend's action gets under way at the Etihad Stadium - the scene of a midweek UEFA Champions League mauling for
Manchester City at the hands of Bayern Munich. A 3-1 reversal against the German giants came on the back of a 3-2 defeat by Aston Villa in the league, so Manuel Pellegrini needs to show that a dominant display in the Manchester derby, which earned widespread praise, was no flash in the pan. City will, however, have their work cut out on Saturday lunchtime when they play host to an
Everton side still unbeaten in the league and going in search of a fifth victory in their last seven visits to the blue half of Manchester.
Saturday Night Football will feature the second of Manchester's title hopefuls, with
United travelling to managerless and winless
Sunderland. David Moyes saw a dogged display on Ukrainian soil against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday ease some of the pressure which has built on the back of successive defeats - and three setbacks in four - in the league. The Red Devils are unaccustomed to occupying a standing in the bottom half of the table and will be desperate to start righting a few wrongs. Sunderland could well do without a visit from a wounded United side, as they continue to prop up the table - with just one point taken from a possible 18. They remain under the caretaker charge of Kevin Ball for now, with a successor to the ousted Paolo Di Canio yet to be appointed.
Elsewhere on Saturday afternoon, second-placed
Liverpool will have their sights locked on a return to the Premier League summit. With Arsenal not in action until Sunday, the Reds know victory over
Crystal Palace will put them back on the loftiest of perches. With Luis Suarez back among the goals and looking sharp following his return from suspension, and with Daniel Sturridge having netted five times in six league outings, Brendan Rodgers will feel that a sustained push for the title could be on the cards. Palace will be hoping to play party poopers this weekend, but Ian Holloway's side have already been overturned in five of their six fixtures so far and have gone 22 years since they last collected three points at Anfield.
Newcastle United are another side in need of a spark and will be looking to get their season back on track against
Cardiff City. Inconsistency continues to plague the Magpies, with Alan Pardew's men unable to string together a run of positive results. Back-to-back defeats have sent them tumbling to 16th spot, with their back four breached on three occasions against both Hull City and Everton. Plugging the defensive leaks is essential, even if Cardiff have hardly been razor sharp this season. The Bluebirds have, however, made a steady start to life back in the big time and have already put in solid displays on home soil against Manchester City, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Mark Hughes will return to familiar surroundings with
Stoke City determined to make life a
