With its Champions League campaign in danger, Manchester City return to the safe haven of the Premier League by putting their unbeaten start on the line in a testing trip to Liverpool.
City struggled again in Europe’s elite club competition when they lost at Napoli 2-1 on Tuesday, leaving the team as outsiders to finish in the top two of the group and qualify for the last 16.
The big-spending northwest side is finding it much easier domestically, holding a five-point lead over Manchester United at the top after going through the first 12 games undefeated. But a tough upcoming schedule will test City’s mettle in the run-up to Christmas.
In the next month, City play at Chelsea and Arsenal at home, but first they have to travel to Liverpool, who are unbeaten in their last seven league matches and fresh because ithey aren’t in Europe. The Reds are also full of confidence after a 2-1 win at Chelsea last weekend.
“I am not taking anything away from them but they do have some tough games coming up,” Manchester United defender Phil Jones said. “I don’t care how good you are, teams can be put under pressure. This is a difficult league to be in. It would be nice for United to reach top spot by Christmas but it is not essential. Don’t be writing us off if we are not there by January.”
Since being thrashed 6-1 by City at Old Trafford last month, United have won three league games 1-0 to confirm their status as the team most likely to prevent their rivals from steamrolling their way to a first title since 1968.
However, the defensive fallibility that affected the defending champions in the first two months of the season reappeared on Tuesday, conceding two soft goals in a 2-2 home draw to Benfica that left them needing a point from their last group game at Basel.
Just as concerning for United manager Alex Ferguson will be the injury picked up by Wayne Rooney, who missed the Benfica match because of a hip problem and could be absent for the game against fourth-place Newcastle today.
“We need to wait to see what he is like over the next few days,” Ferguson said. “We will give him every chance.”
Newcastle slipped to its first loss of the season last weekend when it fell 3-1 at City, but has the joint-best defensive record in the league and created enough chances against City to feel it can get something from the trip to Old Trafford.
Newcastle dropped one place in the table last weekend as a result of Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa, which extended the London club’s undefeated run to nine matches - eight of them being wins.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said his team should even be considered as outside bets for the title based on current form ahead of their trip to West Bromwich Albion today.
“If you keep winning matches and believe in yourself, you will do it,” Redknapp said. “If we keep up (Tottenham’s) form, we’ll win the league. But that will be very hard.”
Having also lost in the Champions League this week to threaten its chances of a spot in the last 16, fifth-place Chelsea - who have lost three of their last four league matches, too - will be desperate for three points from a home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Twelve points behind City, Chelsea are level on points with Liverpool and seventh-place Arsenal, who are looking for a sixth straight league win,when they host Fulham today.
All eyes will again be on Arsenal striker Robin van Persie after his two goals in the 2-1 win over Norwich last weekend took his tally of league goals in 2011 to 31, becoming only the fifth player in Premier League history to surpass 30 goals in a calendar year.
The Netherlands international is the top scorer in the division with 13 goals.
Elsewhere today, last-place Wigan look for a first win since August in a match at Sunderland, next-to-last Blackburn travel to Stoke and Bolton - the other team in the relegation zone - host Everton. Norwich are at home to Queens Park Rangers.
Aside from Liverpool-City, tomorrow’s other game will see Aston Villa travel to Swansea.