adminLONDON. – Level at the top of the Barclays English Premier League soccer table, Chelsea and Manchester City know neither can afford to slip up this weekend. Chelsea host managerless Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge while City are away to out of form Everton.
The leaders have 45 points each and an identical goal difference of 44-19.
Chelsea are likely to start with Diego Costa after he was a substitute in the FA Cup win over Watford last time out.
The club’s top goalscorer, Costa will fancy his chances against a Newcastle side reeling from the loss of manager Alan Pardew.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will want revenge over Newcastle after losing to them at St James’ Park last month, and to make up for the 5-3 defeat at Tottenham in the last league outing on New Year’s Day.
But Newcastle won at Manchester City earlier in the season and 17-year-old forward Adam Armstrong believes they can do the double over the league leaders.
“We’ve got to go for it,” Armstrong told local Newcastle paper The Shields Gaz- ette.
“Chelsea came to St James’ Park and we were the underdogs but I thought we had our best game and won 2-1. Man City is a massive club with a huge stadium, but we went there and won 2-0.”
City take on an Everton side that has struggled for consistency so far this season.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side won 3-2 at Everton in the run-in to their title triumph late last season but lost 1-0 there a month ago.
City will welcome back goalkeeper Joe Hart after two matches on the sidelines while Everton manager Roberto Martinez will have fullback Leighton Baines fit again.
Martinez will be looking for more goals from Romelu Lukaku after the striker came off the bench to salvage a draw in the FA Cup tie with West Ham on Tuesday.
Third meets fourth as Manchester United entertain Southampton, with Saints manager Ronald Koeman looking for revenge after losing at home to United last month.
United could have Angel Di Maria to start for the first time since an injury lay-off while Luke Shaw is battling to be fit.
Tottenham and Arsenal will be out to capitalise on any dropped points above them as they travel to Crystal Palace and host Stoke City respectively.
At the other end of the table, bottom side Leicester face Aston Villa while second-bottom Burnley are at home to fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers.
Liverpool travel to Sunderland, West Ham are away to Swansea and West Brom take on Hull in the weekend’s other matches.
Brendan Rodgers has no intention of gambling on the fitness of Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge at Sunderland today.
Sturridge spent the Christmas and New Year period in the United States continuing treatment on a troublesome calf injury that has sidelined him since the end of August.
But he was scheduled to fly back to the UK yesterday and should resume training this weekend.
With Liverpool having struggled for much of Sturridge’s absence, Rodgers may have been tempted to put the England international straight back into his squad.
But the Reds boss will take a cautious approach and instead hopes to have Sturridge, who has scored 32 league goals in 40 career starts for his club, back in his line-up before the end of the month.
“He will be back in the country in the next 24 hours to go into final stages of his rehab,” Rodgers said.
“The work he has done in America has been fantastic, specialising in the rehabilitation and he will now come back – hopefully in some part of January. – AFP.
Online Reporter