1) Contrasting fortunes tilt balance away from Arsenal



Given Chelsea’s rampaging form at the top of the table, the first Premier League meeting between Pep Guardiola and Arsène Wenger feels hugely significant, particularly for Manchester City who could find themselves 10 points off the title pace should they suffer defeat at the Etihad. A week ago Arsenal might have started this contest as favourites, but their 14-game unbeaten streak in the league came to an end in the midweek defeat at Goodison Park, while City rectified their recent slump with a confident 2-0 win over Watford. City’s performance was enhanced by Raheem Sterling’s return to the starting XI, who showed glimpses of the sort of form that lit up their blistering start to the campaign by flitting into central positions and surging the tempo. Arsenal meanwhile appear a little vulnerable; Shkodran Mustafi’s absence was exposed by Everton and Wenger will be without him again. All of a sudden it is City who have their tails up, before a game they can hardly afford to lose. LO

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2) Blues can take defining stride from chasing pack

Crystal Palace have yet to feature in a scoreless draw this season and at least three goals have been scored in each of their past eight matches. With Chelsea coming to Selhurst Park on Saturday, more look assured and the earliness of the kick-off means a win for the the league leaders would leave the chasing posse with plenty of time to think about the widening chasm they need to bridge as they wait for their turn to play. Fourth-placed City take on Arsenal in a match that guarantees at least one of the two sides will lose further ground on Chelsea, while Liverpool face a tricky trip across Stanley Park to face Everton on Monday, where victory is far from assured. A Chelsea win in south London is by no means a formality, but if they prevail one can’t help but feel it could be a defining moment in their season. BG

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3) Will Valencia blunt Baggies’ Brunt?

You’d have got long odds on this being a clash between the teams placed sixth and seventh in the table when the fixture list came out, but that’s the state of affairs as Manchester United travel to the Hawthorns to test themselves against the team directly below them in league. While the sight of any West Brom striker scoring a hat-trick is remarkable, Salomón Rondón’s three midweek goals were even more so because they all came via his head. Makeshift left-back Chris Brunt was the unlikely provider of two of them and Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia, the man tasked with keeping him under wraps this weekend, will need to have his wits about him if he is to keep this unlikely creative force from enhancing Albion’s even more unlikely reputation as a free-scoring side. BG

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4) Eriksen must reap rewards of attacking licence

Spurs’ lack of pace and width is a problem that will not be resolved this season. But at least Mauricio Pochettino has now taken steps to mitigate the problem, switching to a back three and lightening the defensive burden on full-backs better going forwards than backwards and his only players likely to beat a man on the outside. This adjustment might also liberate Christian Eriksen who, rather like Juan Mata, is not quite good enough to justify his lack of physical attributes, while being plenty good enough to sometimes do some very good things. Now that he is not expected to act as a winger, Eriksen is best placed to do them more often – as he did against Hull in midweek – but to hold on to his spot this season, to say nothing of next, he must find some consistency. No longer does he have the excuse of an infelicitous formation. DH

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5) All eyes on the man in the middle

Craig Pawson has been appointed to officiate Saturday’s match between Stoke City and Leicester and it will be intriguing to see how he bounces back from Wednesday night’s horror show at Selhurst Park. It would be quite the understatement to say the official from south Yorkshire did not have one of his better games while refereeing Manchester United’s win over Crystal Palace. Marcos Rojo should have walked, Paul Pogba could have walked, Manchester United should have had a goal disallowed and been awarded a penalty, while one perfectly good goal Juan Mata did score was erroneously chalked off. It was, in short, a nightmare for Pawson and his assistants, whose collective mood will not have been helped by the fact that their high profile errors were broadcast live to a TV audience. It was a performance to forget and he will be hoping for an easier time at the bet365 Stadium. BG

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Wayne Rooney and Craig Pawson discuss the finer points of the game at Selhurst Park. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

6) Time for Wilshere to enjoy himself

Jack Wilshere has played tidily enough since signing for Bournemouth, passing, moving and all the rest of it, and has quickly become an integral part of the team. But if there is a criticism of Eddie Howe’s side, who host Southampton on Saturday, it is that they lack devil and invention, precisely the qualities that marked Wilshere out as a special talent. So, having taken half a season to settle in, avoid injury and regain confidence, it is now time for him to make the next step and throw himself into those surges that made the ball seem like an extension of his foot, taking risks, turning up late in the box and generally enjoying himself. Assuming he wants to get back to Arsenal, get back in with England and make the most of what he’s got, he’s going to have to. DH



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7) Ramírez return would boost faltering Boro

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The two teams either side of the thick black line go toe-to-toe on the back of defeats in which they both shipped three goals. Swansea City’s defensive frailties have been well-documented in this column in recent weeks, so it is to Middlesbrough we will turn our gaze in the wake of their heaviest loss of the season, at home to Liverpool. While Swansea are unlikely to play with the kind of intensity that left Aitor Karanka so in awe of Liverpool, the Spaniard ought to be concerned by the manner in which his normally obdurate team capitulated in the face of their opponents’ ferocious onslaught. The lowest goalscorers in the Premier League, Boro have missed the cutting edge offered by their injured and occasionally infuriating midfielder Gastón Ramírez in consecutive defeats where they have failed to score and their fans will be hoping the Uruguayan is passed fit to return ahead of this crucial six-pointer. BG

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8) Watford a litmus test for Sunderland under Moyes

Are David Moyes’s side the relegation certainties of the first two months of the season or the upwardly mobile battlers of November? This game could go some way to telling us. After winning three games out of four, Sunderland convincingly lost a six pointer at Swansea last weekend, but were only narrowly edged out by leaders Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday. Their opponents, Watford, are a well-oiled machine and strong in the middle of the park. But they have also lost three of their last four matches and conceded as many goals as their hosts this weekend. If Sunderland’s back four play as well as they did at Chelsea and treat Troy Deeney with the same attention as they did Diego Costa, the Black Cats might just get lucky. PM

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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sunderland manager David Moyes during their defeat to Chelsea. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

9) Hammers must dispel home blues against Hull

West Ham have yet to notch back-to-back home league wins at the much maligned London Stadium but following a fairly unimpressive midweek win against Burnley they will never have a better chance to lay the foundations of something resembling a fortress at their new home. Hull City are the visitors this weekend and anything other than an emphatic win over Mike Phelan’s team is likely to leave the natives feeling even more restless than has been usual in their new digs. Following West Ham’s draw against Liverpool last week, Slaven Bilic said it was imperative that his team win their next two games and they’re already halfway there. Considering the paucity of talent in their ranks and bad luck with injuries, it could be argued that Hull are actually over-achieving this season despite their lowly league status. Should West Ham fail to beat them, the prospect of relegation for the Hammers would become considerably more real. BG

10) Will Everton resist the irresistible?

Mersey Monday and the big question is whether Ronald Koeman can summon his dogs of war. The intensity that drove Everton to an unexpected victory over Arsenal on Tuesday was out of keeping with a recent anaemic run of form and will be required again should the Blues hope to prevail over the Reds at Goodison Park. A derby is the ideal motivation of course, but Everton will have to be focussed from minute one to protect themselves against Liverpool’s irresistible, bewildering attack. Perhaps, as well as breaking up on-pitch fights, Duncan Ferguson could find the time to give a Powerpoint session on the Toffee’s triumphant 1994-95 Cup run as an aide memoire. PM

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