Manchester City will be looking to turn domination into top spot in the Premier League this weekend.
Manuel Pellegrini’s team saw off previous leaders, Liverpool, in a high-quality encounter on Boxing Day.
The only thing missing for City is top spot but they can rectify that on Saturday by beating relegation-threatened Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.
City have won all nine of their home league games and a 10th win is likely over a Palace side that are improving but who are hovering above the bottom three.
Pellegrini said the quick turnaround made it a tougher game than otherwise.
He said: “We have to play against Crystal Palace in less than 48 hours while (leaders) Arsenal have a tough game against Newcastle.
“We’ll see what will happen but it’s only halfway through the season.
“As I’ve always said, I think it will be very close with five or six teams in the frame for the title.”
On the evidence of Boxing Day’s clash, Liverpool will not be too far away, in spite of dropping to fourth after the defeat at City.
Brendan Rodgers takes his team to Chelsea on Sunday, knowing they are in for another tough test of their title credentials.
“I think people will go away and look at us as a team that’s hopefully going to be up there challenging,” Rodgers said.
“Our main objective is to set up camp in the top four. That’s what this club has been striving for, for a number of years.
“But we’ve shown consistently over this year that we’re hopefully going to be in with a right good chance of doing that this season. We didn’t get the points, but we’ll recover well now and get onto the next game.”
Chelsea sit one point above Liverpool and manager, Jose Mourinho, began the mind-games immediately after his side’s Boxing Day win over Swansea.
“Everybody knows that, in this moment, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City are the top four,” Mourinho said.
“So when there is a match between two of them, there is a lot of points you can get.
“(Rodgers) is doing fantastic, but he is training every week in a calm way, every day, maybe twice a day, which is a big, big, big advantage.
“Not being in European competition gives them an advantage, not in terms of resting but in terms of working. They can work.
“These players here are going to play 60 matches, Liverpool players are going to play 40 matches. It is a big difference.”
Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, saw his team recover from an early goal deficit to win at West Ham on Boxing Day.
The Frenchman believes fifth-placed Newcastle will be a real test and will also be without in-form midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who limped off with an injury against West Ham.
“It looks (serious),” Wenger said, adding: “It looks like a thigh strain. I don’t know how serious the thigh strain is but the Christmas period certainly is over for him.”
Champions, Manchester United, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, are away to Norwich, while Tottenham face Stoke City.
Bottom side Sunderland travel to Cardiff looking for more points in their quest for survival.
Second-bottom, West Ham, entertain West Brom while third-bottom, Fulham, travel to Hull and Aston Villa host Swansea in the weekend’s other match.
dpa/NAN.
Trending
- Queues: NNPC says cause of tightness in fuel supply resolved
- LG polls: Oyo declares Friday half working day
- Ondo 2024: Ajayi emerges PDP governorship candidate
- ‘Dey play,’ Nigerians mock prophet who claims world ends today
- Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Demolition for first 3km begins Saturday
- Court subpoenas Lagos prison controller over disobedience to order
- Ondo poll: You’ll be successful tomorrow, Ganduje tells Jimoh Ibrahim, others
- Court sets aside arrest warrant against Fubara’s Chief of Staff