The top five will all be in action on Saturday as Premier League action returns after the international break, while Gus Poyet makes his Sunderland bow.
Magpies host Reds; Gunners face Canaries; Saints at Old Trafford
The top five will all be in action on Saturday afternoon as Premier League action returns after the international break, while Gus Poyet takes in his first game as the new boss at rock-bottom Sunderland.
Elsewhere, Manchester United will be looking to make up ground on the early front-runners and the
Super Sunday cameras travel to the Midlands to see how Aston Villa fare against Tottenham Hotspur.
The weekend action gets under way at St James' Park, with
Newcastle United welcoming high-flying
Liverpool to the North East. The Reds are the Premier League's joint-leaders at present, having amassed 16 points from their seven games so far. Skipper Steven Gerrard should be on a high after playing an instrumental role in England's successful bid to reach the 2014 World Cup, and his Three Lions colleague Daniel Sturridge will also be in buoyant mood. The division's top scorer, with six in seven games, netted twice on his last visit to Tyneside - in a 6-0 romp - and Liverpool have emerged victorious in 10 of their last 14 meetings with a Magpies side still searching for consistency in 2013/14.
Arsenal occupy the loftiest of top flight perches courtesy of their superior goal return, and they will be determined to consolidate that standing when they welcome
Norwich City to Emirates Stadium. The Gunners saw their winning run ended last time out, but remain unbeaten since the opening day of the season - a sequence of 11 games in all competitions. Inflicting a rare setback on Arsene Wenger's troops is the challenge facing a Norwich outfit that finds itself inside the bottom three and struggling to provide a cutting edge. The Canaries have found the target on just five occasions in their opening seven fixtures, so Chris Hughton needs a clutch of forward-thinking summer signings to start delivering a return on his investment and faith.
You could never accuse Jose Mourinho of slipping under the radar, but the successes and failures of fellow title hopefuls has allowed
Chelsea to quietly go about their business and position themselves just two points off the pace. The Blues would be the first to admit that they have been hit and miss at times this season, but Mourinho has a knack of grinding out results - especially at home - and will be happy enough with the progress made so far. With Chelsea having won 10 of their last 11 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, top flight new boys
Cardiff City are unlikely to be relishing a trip to west London. This is, however, the kind of occasion the club have been striving for and the Bluebirds - for all the recent shenanigans and rumours off the field - have already shown this term that they are capable of holding their own against the big boys.
It is testament to the fine work being overseen by Mauricio Pochettino at
Southampton that the Saints head to Old Trafford this weekend sat above
Manchester United in the top flight standings and with every reason to believe that they are capable of springing a surprise. United are in danger of losing their air of invincibility at the Theatre of Dreams, with visiting sides prepared to have a real go at David Moyes' men. That said, on the back of a defeat against West Brom in their last home game in the league, the Red Devils have not lost successive Premier League fixtures in front of their own
