It has been a season of misery for Arsenal but they have the chance to restore some pride this weekend in the Premier League.
Arsenal face Spurs; Chelsea host Bolton; Wolves go to Newcastle
It has been a season of misery for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger but they have the chance to restore some pride this weekend in the Premier League.
After successive defeats, by AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League and Sunderland in the FA Cup, Arsenal welcome North London rivals Tottenham to the Emirates on Sunday.
Manchester City have a two-point lead at the top of the table and they host Blackburn, while Manchester United will look to keep the pressure on against Norwich.
Elsewhere, another man under pressure Andre Villas-Boas sees his Chelsea side take on Bolton as Wolves, led by Terry Connor, play Newcastle at St James' Park.
Qualification for next year's Champions League is all
Arsenal have to play for now but local bragging rights are at stake against
Tottenham on Sunday, live on
Sky Sports 1 and
HD1 from 1.30pm. Ten points separate the two teams with Spurs still with an outside chance of making a title challenge this season, enjoying a fantastic campaign in which they have played with real style and panache. A short way south and Arsene Wenger's methods are coming under scrutiny once again. It looks like being seven years without a trophy for the Gunners but victory this weekend would go some way to repairing the damage.
Pressure
Villas-Boas watched
Chelsea produce a decent performance at Napoli on Tuesday night but the defensive frailties that have blighted the West Londoners this campaign surfaced again. The Blues ended up losing 3-1 in Italy to crank the pressure up on the Portuguese who needs a win and a good display against
Bolton to pick up spirits. Rumours of dressing-room unrest are rife but Roman Abramovich has so far backed his manager through this difficult period - how long that support remains is anyone's guess. Bolton are currently second bottom with just one point from a possible nine - Owen Coyle also needs a result.
Manchester City bounced back from their defeat at Everton with league victories over Fulham and Aston Villa and thrashed Porto 4-0 in the Europa League on Wednesday. While the debate over Carlos Tevez's future rumbles on City will just be focusing on each game as the business end of the season looms large. Manchester United have the experience of many title run-ins under their belt, but for Roberto Mancini and company it is uncharted territory. They take on
Blackburn Rovers on Saturday evening, who themselves are desperately trying to pull away from the relegation zone after a turbulent season. Watch the action live on
Sky Sports 2 and
HD2 from 5.30pm.
Europa League duty on Thursday means
United play their next game on Sunday - with a trip to
Norwich City in store. Sir Alex Ferguson confessed to not playing the right side against Ajax but, despite a defeat on the night at Old Trafford, they progressed on aggregate and face Athletic Bilbao in the next round. A dramatic draw at Chelsea and three points against Liverpool in the Premier League have demonstrated the champions' resolve in recent weeks and they will need to keep proving their steel in the coming months. Norwich, though, will prove tough opponents and Paul Lambert deserves great credit for the job he has done this term. The Canaries currently sit eighth in the division following back-to-back wins.
After the sacking of Mick McCarthy
