Fireworks are expected on Sunday when Premier League leaders Chelsea host second-placed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Watch Chelsea versus Man Utd live on Sky Sports 1 & HD1
Fireworks are expected on Sunday when Premier League leaders Chelsea host second-placed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
As weak as the Bonfire Night-themed analogy may sound, there is no ignoring that the fixture in the capital genuinely is a white hot encounter. Victory for top-flight champions United would see them leapfrog the table-toppers, but a success for the home side would open up a five-point lead at the summit with 12 games gone of the 2009/10 season.
Elsewhere, Phil Brown is under pressure for his Hull City side to pick up a positive result against Stoke City, in-form Arsenal travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City welcome North West rivals Burnley to Eastlands while Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland clash at White Hart Lane.
Sky Sports 1 & HD1 brings you live coverage of
Chelsea's encounter with
Manchester United, and what a game it promises to be. The Blues have dropped just six league points under Carlo Ancelotti this term and are the bookmakers' favourites for the title. United, meanwhile, have convinced few with their displays but have still amassed eight wins out of 11 matches. Ferguson has only beaten an Ancelotti side once, while the Red Devils have not won at Chelsea in the last seven Premier League seasons. It is suggested that if United defend - with a backline shorn of Rio Ferdinand - versus the Blues like they did during midweek in Europe then said record would most likely be extended.
On Sunday lunchtime,
Hull take on
Stoke at the KC Stadium, also live on
Sky Sports 1 & HD1. Tigers boss Brown has received the backing of new chairman Adam Pearson, but a poor showing on home soil could alter his standpoint. A defeat against the Potters would mark a 20th Hull loss in 2009, while this time last season the club were flying high in sixth - how times change, eh. Their opponents Stoke are an excellent ninth in the table and had Tony Pulis' men not thrown away nine points from leading positions this season then the club would be level in the table with champions United. The scale of the job Pulis has achieved at the Britannia Stadium should not be underestimated.
Arsenal are the division's in-form team, having won five of their last six outings. Arsene Wenger's men are in intimidating attacking temper and in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday they were again firing on all cylinders. Success at
Wolves on Saturday evening would lift them to second for at least 24 hours, and the history books certainly point to an away win - Wolves have not won at home against the Gunners since October 1978. A crumb of comfort for Mick McCarthy's Wolves is Arsenal's leakiness at the back, with the North London club 'boasting' their worst ever defensive performance after 10 Premier League games. Furthermore, over the past three seasons Arsenal have notoriously struggled in the month of November.
Despite lying fourth in the table,
Manchester City's form of four draws on the spin will be of a growing concern for manager Mark Hughes. City's position has been saved by their rivals around them also dropping points. But they can be optimistic of earning their first league win since the end of September as their opposition,
Burnley, have struggled on the road to date. City's North West neighbours are yet to record a point away from Turf Moor, but lie 10th in the table by virtue of their impressive home record.
Darren Bent returns to
Tottenham when
Sunderland tackle Harry Redknapp's side. The striker infamously helped manufacture a move away from Spurs in the summer via the medium of Twitter, and the switch has proved canny business for Black Cats boss Steve Bruce, who has seen Bent score eight goals in all competitions. In fact, Bent has managed an impressive haul of 57 Premier League goals since August 2005 - a record only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Whether letting Bent leave will come back to haunt Redknapp remains to be seen, but at least the Spurs boss is boosted by Jermain Defoe's return from suspension. Redknapp batted off talk of a slump in form last weekend, and will be keen to avoid fuelling similar questions come the final whistle as his team look to avoid a third loss on the spin.
The goalscoring floodgates finally opened for
Portsmouth last weekend as they notched their first home league win of the season. They next lock horns with
Blackburn Rovers, who will be most welcome of playing at home having been battered in recent weeks away from Ewood Park. Pompey should be wary of Sam Allardyce's charges, who boast a sound return of six wins and two of draws from their last nine Premier League home games. Paul Hart's side will not be lacking motivation ahead of the fixture, in the knowledge that victory could move them off the foot of the table for the first time since August.
Aston Villa head into their encounter with
Bolton Wanderers off the back of a late, and no doubt painful, defeat versus West Ham. The result at Upton Park means Villa have managed just one three-point haul in their last six matches, form that is only beaten for poorness by Hull. Bolton have been sturdy in recent weeks compared to their season start but still lie just a point above the drop zone, and Gary Megson will yearn for some breathing space. Clean sheets have been an issue for the Trotters - they have yet to keep one this league campaign - so Villa could envisage this as the type of game that could help them return to form.
West Ham's victory over Villa was their first at home this season and came much to the relief of boss Gianfranco Zola, who has seen his side perhaps not earn what their efforts have deserved this season. The result lifted them out of the bottom three, but Zola will know there is still much work to do. Their opponents at home on Sunday are
Everton, a team that sits 13th in the table and just two points above the drop zone. David Moyes' men have been hugely inconsistent this term - they have not won in seven matches in all competitions - and better is expected from a team that finished fifth in 2008/09.
Fulham will be out to extend their four-game unbeaten run when they make the trip to
Wigan Athletic. The Cottagers stunned Liverpool last time out having steadily rediscovered the formula which made them so hard to beat last season. For the Latics, consistency is key. A torrid performance at Portsmouth saw them receive a drubbing, but with fewer distractions off the field heading into this weekend's game, manager Roberto Martinez will be hopeful his side can draw on the level of performances that have seen them beat Aston Villa and Chelsea this season.
