Back to reality

After the midweek return of European club Football for the Premierships top clubs, it is back to the battle on the domestic front.

Manchester United face a Wembley encounter with Spurs this weekend, leaving the three successful Champions league teams to start of this weekends league proceedings on Saturday. All are faced with encounters they need to win to make up ground on the champions whose fantastic recent form has seen them pull seven points clear of the chasing pack.

Guus Hiddink’ resurgent Chelsea side face Steve Bruce’ Wigan side, who go into the game on the back of four draws.

The Russian manager will see the game as an ideal opportunity to make up lost ground on Alex Ferguson’s men, with Wigan still coming to terms with the loss of Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios.

Bernabeau conquerors Liverpool will be bought back down to Earth with a trip to the Riverside, to face a Middlesboro side battling for their lives at the foot of the table. Manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping his sides league form will get a much needed shot in the arm by their own midweek cup win.

Rafa Benitez will surely be desperate to put pressure on his Old Trafford counterparts this weekend with a win in the North-East, which would close the gap to four. He will be hoping to stay in touching distance of United ahead of their upcoming clash.

Meanwhile Arsenal will be hoping for no more slip ups in their chase for fourth spot, as they entertain Fulham at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger will be hoping his side can exact some revenge on their London neighbours, who upset the Gunners earlier this season but are yet to win away from Craven Cottage this season. At the same time, he will see this as an opportunity to draw closer to Aston Villa, who currently occupy fourth.

Sunday brings a difficult home game for Villa, against a Stoke side looking for their first away win of the season. Villa will be hoping to maintain their six point lead over the Gunners by Sunday night, with Martin O’Neill signalling his intentions by resting eight first team regulars for their midweek trip to Moscow.

At the foot of the table, Villa’s midland rivals West Brom face a difficult Saturday lunchtime trip to Goodison Park, to face an Everton side with their own European aspirations. Tony Mowbray’s men have done well to reel in the rest in recent weeks but the trip to Merseyside looks a difficult one.

Blackburn will see a trip to faltering Hull as an opening to get out of the bottom three, attempting to capitalise on Hull’s poor recent form.

So this weekend will be a nervy test for sides at the top and bottom of the league. Any slip ups here could prove vital for sides such as Liverpool and Aston Villa, who are set to showdown in March, whilst potentially giving relegation battlers Stoke and Boro the chance to escape the foot of the table.

The title race looks set to hot up in March and the sides at the top will be hoping for no slip ups this weekend.