All eyes will be on Old Trafford this weekend for the first clash between big four of the 2009/10 campaign.
It may still be early days in the new season but the importance of getting one over on your rivals should not be underestimated, at either end of the table.
Manchester United,Your browser may not support display of this image. Chelsea and much-touted Manchester CityYour browser may not support display of this image. all well-placed on the upper rungs of the Premier League ladder. Liverpool have stumbled to a disappointing start, and know they have ground to make up already, while the likes of Birmingham and Burnley have displayed enough promise to suggest that they could be dark horses as the top-flight marathon begins in earnest.
The latest round of fixtures will, however, be overshadowed by what promises to be a titanic tussle between Manchester United and Arsenal on Saturday evening - a game which can be seen live on Sky Sports 1 in UK and ESPNSTAR in South East Asia.
Reigning champions United appear to have shaken off the surprise of suffering a shock loss at Turf Moor, and put five past Wigan last time out, and Sir Alex Ferguson will have his troops primed for battle. Arsenal, though, have been mightily impressive so far this term, scoring 10 goals in their two fixtures so far, and they will head to Old Trafford confident they can put down a significant marker in the title race.
While the Gunners and Red Devils will have aspirations of crossing the finish line first come next May, Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea are also expected to have a major say in the destination of the crown. The Blues have made a perfect start to the season, taking nine points from three games, but they will not have things all their own way at Stamford Bridge this weekend when they play host to a Burnley side who have adapted to life among England's elite with consummate ease.
At present, though, it is Tottenham who are looking down on the rest of the table from their lofty perch at the summit and Harry Redknapp'sYour browser may not support display of this image. men will fancy their chances of racking up a fourth consecutive success this week. Spurs welcome Birmingham to North London on Saturday looking to preserve White Hart Lane'sYour browser may not support display of this image. burgeoning status as a fortress few away sides are able to breach.
Liverpool's troubles so far have already been alluded to and Rafa Benitez will not be relishing a tricky trip to Bolton. The Reds appeared bereft of ideas in their hugely disappointing 3-1 defeat to Aston VillaYour browser may not support display of this image. on Monday and Gary Megson will have his Trotters team sensing blood.
Anyone looking for a surprise package to emerge from the midst of the 2009/10 campaign could do worse than cast an eye over ever-improving Sunderland. Steve BruceYour browser may not support display of this image. has got the Black Cats purring and a trip to fortress Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke will hold no fear for the wily former Birmingham and Wigan boss.
West Ham, or rather their supporters, have dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week and they will welcome the opportunity to turn attentions back to their performances on the field. A 3-1 victory over Millwall in the Carling Cup in midweek, a good result which has been somewhat overshadowed, should stand them in good stead ahead of a trip to Blackburn to take on a Rovers side yet to get off the mark.
Molineux promises to be bathed in gold this weekend as hosts Wolves take on Hull City. Mick McCarthy's side have made a solid yet unspectacular start to life back in the big time, while the Tigers will feel that they have yet to reap the rewards their industry this term has deserved.
Portsmouth kick-off Sunday's action with a lunchtime contest with Manchester City.With Sulaiman Al-Fahim now overseeing events at Fratton Park,Your browser may not support display of this image. having previously helped to manufacture the Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover at City, it will be intriguing to see which of the two sides now benefitting from Middle Eastern investment come out on top. The smart money would appear to be on the visitors, as they have taken maximum points from their two outings so far and are yet to concede, while Pompey have slipped to three consecutive defeats and look drained by the distracting takeover saga.
The South Coast outfit do not prop up the table at present, though, with that unfortunate honour going to Everton. The Toffees were expected to be among the frontrunners again this season, after taking positive strides in recent years, but a dismal start has seen them slip off the pace. A home date with inconsistent Wigan could help them to get back on track, but the Merseysiders will be forced to make do without Joleon LescottYour browser may not support display of this image. from now on after offloading the England international to Manchester City.
A busy weekend, which sees all 20 Premier League sides in action, comes to a close at Villa ParkYour browser may not support display of this image. on Sunday afternoon as Aston Villa take on Fulham. Martin O'Neill's men will have been buoyed by their heroics at Anfield last time out, while the Cottagers are looking to bounce back from a derby day setback at Chelsea last weekend.
Premiere League Preview
Champions League Draw
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Rangers now know who they will face in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Thursday's draw in Monaco has thrown up a host of intriguing fixtures in Europe's elite club competition.
Liverpool head up Group E and will tackle French giants Lyon, Serie A side Fiorentina and Hungarian outfit Debreceni as Rafa Benitez'sYour browser may not support display of this image. men aim to repeat their 2005 success.
Manchester UnitedYour browser may not support display of this image. - winners in 2008 and finalists in 2009 - are the top seeds in Group B, with Sir Alex Ferguson'sYour browser may not support display of this image. side facing lengthy trips to CSKA Moscow and Besiktas, while they must also tackle German champions Wolfsburg.
Chelsea have to overcome Porto, Atletico MadridYour browser may not support display of this image. and APOEL Nicosia if they are to secure safe passage from Group D into the knockout phase as they aim to claim the trophy which has become something of a Holy Grail for the Stamford Bridge club.
Arsenal tackle Champions League newcomers AZ Alkmaar,Your browser may not support display of this image. Greek powerhouse Olympiakos and Belgian side Standard Liege in Group H after overcoming Celtic in their qualifying round.
Rangers' bid to reach the latter stages in Europe sees them placed in Group G alongside top seeds Sevilla, Stuttgart and Unirea Urziceni of Romania.
Brazilian playmaker Kaka has been handed an immediate return to AC MilanYour browser may not support display of this image. with Real Madrid paired alongside his former club, plus Marseille and FC Zurich in Group C.
Defending champions Barcelona tackle Inter Milan in Group F - in two clashes which will see Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o facing their former clubs - with Dynamo KievYour browser may not support display of this image. and Rubin KazanYour browser may not support display of this image. completing the quartet.
Bayern Munich,Your browser may not support display of this image. who lifted the trophy in 2001, are up against Juventus, French champions Bordeaux and Maccabi Haifa in Group A.
The clubs will now meet home and away across six matchdays from September to December with the top two qualifying for the knockout phase, with the ultimate prize on offer in the final at Real's Santiago Bernabeu on 22nd May.
Champions League groups and fixture schedule
Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa.
Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg.
Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich.
Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL Nicosia.
Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debreceni.
Group F: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan.
Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni.
Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege.
Matchday 1: 15th/16th September
Matchday 2: 29th/30th September
Matchday 3: 20th/21st October
Matchday 4: 3rd/4th November
Matchday 5: 24th/25th November
Matchday 6: 8th/9th December
Aston Villa Rock Liverpool at Anfield
Aston Villa put another dent in Liverpool's title dreams with a hard-fought 3-1 victory at Anfield.
Lucas Leiva suffered the indignity of putting through his own net to open the scoring, before Curtis Davies doubled Villa's lead moments before the break.
Fernando Torres did pull one back for the hosts, but Ashley Young rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot.
Liverpool dominated much of the opening exchanges, but fell behind after 34 minutes when an ambitious free-kick from Young cannoned off Lucas and past a stranded Pepe Reina.
The Reds were then the architects of their own downfall once again on the stroke of half-time as they failed to pick up Davies from a corner and he glanced a header in off the underside of the bar.
Torres then offered Rafa Benitez's side a lifeline on 72 minutes, as he coolly rounded of a well-worked move down the left.
However, Steven Gerrard felled Nigel Reo-Coker in the box three minutes later and Young sent Reina the wrong way from the spot.
The result ended Liverpool's 31-match unbeaten home league record stretching back to December 2007, when Manchester United were the last winners at Anfield.
But the spotlight will now be on Liverpool, who only lost twice in the league last season and still did not win the title.
The margin for error is now very fine. You rarely win the crown by losing more than five games in a season, and Liverpool's hopes could already have suffered a mortal blow.
Premier League Preview
There is no disrespect to the other teams of the best league in Europe who, with the battle to avoid relegation taking centre stage, served up no end of tension and atmosphere that appealed to those that understand there is more to football.
With Arsenal, Chelsea and United in FA Cup action - and Liverpool awaiting Tuesday's thrilling 4-4 draw with the Gunners at Anfield - there was a characteristic lack in visual, obvious, attacking flair, which returned with a bang on Merseyside in midweek.
United and Chelsea had a dull Wednesday outings against Portsmouth and Everton, respectively, but there is expected to be high-intensity excitement this weekend with a number of intriguing encounters.
Regaining Champion and League leaders United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford on Saturday evening, while Liverpool visit Hull City in the afternoon and Chelsea travel across London to take on West Ham United.
Saturday also sees Everton and Manchester City meet at Goodison Park as Aston Villa travelling in at Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland journey to West Bromwich Albion, and Fulham take on Stoke City.
Sunday Arsenal welcome struggling Middlesbrough to Emirates Stadium and Wigan Athletic host Blackburn Rovers. while Portsmouth head north to Newcastle on Monday.
Manchester United could see Liverpool reclaim top position on goal difference with three points at Hull, who are going down further towards the relegation zone, but Sir Alex Ferguson's side, who have a game in hand on Rafa Benitez's side, could again overtake their biggest rivals a couple of hours later with victory against Tottenham.
Some of Liverpool players have suggested that only a miracle in their bid to end a 19-year wait for a league title after they were held to the memorable draw with Arsenal, but Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee claims the war of words with their arch-rival United is over - will insist his players do not let standards slip at the KC Stadium.
Chelsea's meeting with capital neighbour West Ham offers the sub-plot of the weekend. With Chelsea coach Guss Hiddink conceding defeat in the league and focusing on the cup and next week's UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg with Barcelona at Camp Nou, do not rule out an upset conjured by Gianfranco Zola at Upton Park.
The Italian gaffer of West Ham, is a Chelsea legend and will be desperate to demonstrate his managerial prowess with his improving side, who are increasing in confidence with every game and also have a desire to maintain a top-seven place.
Aston Villa continue to limp over the finishing line after being held to a late draw with West Ham in last weekend's best game and, with Champions League qualification already drifting into the distance, an away match against a tough Bolton side, who are still not safe from the drop.
Everton could be forgiven for allowing their first appearance in an FA Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1995 to act as a distraction following last week's semi-final penalty shoot-out success over United, but highly-rated boss David Moyes will not allow his side to be knocked off course and will want to build on the battling point at Chelsea when Manchester City arrive at Goodison Park hoping to gatecrash the European places before the end of the season.
Stoke can sniff another season of Premier League football following a crucial success over Blackburn at the Britannia Stadium, but the Potters - so difficult to beat on home soil - are likely to find the going tough against a ruthless Fulham defence, with the hosts among the sides fighting an intriguing battle for the maiden European League campaign.
Rock-bottom West Brom's destiny looks a little less brighter than Stoke's, but a home clash with a Sunderland side who are also competing for survival could offer some optimism for next season among the Baggies faithful.
Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal will prepare for what promises to be a classic, all-English, continental tie against United with a sparring session against 18th-placed Middlesbrough on Sunday.
If the bottom three of West Brom, Newcastle and Middlesbrough are to produce escape acts, Blackburn are the side the trio have their sights on and Sam Allardyce will hope to extinguish those aspirations when Wigan arrive at Ewood Park later in the afternoon.
Portsmouth boosted their survival hopes against Bolton last weekend, but Paul Hart's squad make the long trip to Newcastle on Monday on the back of the midweek defeat to United and they are well aware that an additional defeat at St James' Park could spell trouble.
Arsenal’s amazing run of form may cost Liverpool a premier league title
Arsenal’s amazing run of form may cost
Russian playmaker Andrey Arshavin scored all four of Arsenal’s goals in a nail bitting encounter and look to have secured a vistory with just minute to play for but there was still plenty of time for Yossi Benayoun to snatch a point for Liverpool and send them on top of the table on goal difference with Man Utd playing on Wednesday.
Early stages of the game
After half time, Liverpool deservely got their rewards for their early possessions with Fernando Torress levelled with the power full header from Dirk Kuyt’s cross and then Yossi Benayoun put Liverpool 2-1 ahead minutes later. Arshavin scored his second in 67 minutes after dispossessing Arbeloa and the Russian got third of the evening to silence the Anfield crowd.
Liverpool responded again and made it 3-3 thanks to a clinical finish from Torres 18 minutes from time, but the drama was far from over as Arshavin's fourth was cancelled out by Benayoun.