LONDON, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- With a midweek round of games just finished, there is little time to breathe ahead of another round of matches in the Premier League this weekend, although three big clubs at least have something to think about.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola will have pondered on his side's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on Tuesday night, and he has the advantage of an extra 24 hours to prepare for Sunday's home game against Arsenal, which looks to be the game of the weekend.
Guardiola's men have already dropped more points in 24 games than in the whole of last season's title-winning campaign, and although the damage from their defeat at St James' Park was tempered by Liverpool's failure to beat Leicester City, it's hard to imagine they will get lucky again.
Liverpool played like a side that knew they had the chance to take a huge leap towards the title when they were held by Leicester on Wednesday, and the Reds face a tricky trip to face West Ham in London on Monday evening.
West Ham may have lost their last three games (including a humiliating FA Cup exit to third-tier AFC Wimbledon), but their last win was at home to Arsenal, indicating that Liverpool will have to work hard to take all three points.
Although it is the 25th round of games in this season's Premier League, this weekend's games are the exact reverse of the fixtures played on the opening round of the season. If that alone isn't enough to invite reflection when Chelsea entertain Huddersfield, then Chelsea's midweek defeat to Bournemouth must be.
The 4-0 thrashing in the Vitality Stadium saw Chelsea boss Mauricio Sarri speak to his players alone for an hour and again lambast them for a lack of motivation.
Sarri then traveled alone back to London, which points to a breakdown in relations between players and coach. The good news is that bottom side Huddersfield should lack the class to further trouble a team which dropped out of the top four in midweek. Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 win against the Terriers in the first game of the campaign, and anything worse than that could be seen as a step backward.
Tottenham remain third after Fernando Llorente's late winner against Watford, and they will need the veteran to be at his best again as they seek three points from Newcastle with Harry Kane absent through injury.
Meanwhile, Manchester United will look to get back to winning ways when they visit Leicester City.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his winning start come to an end as United were held by Burnley in midweek, but two late goals to snatch a point gave the final 2-2 draw a more positive spin than might have been the case. United forward Anthony Martial will be looking to celebrate his new contract with a goal.
Burnley and Southampton pit their improved runs of form against each other at Turf Moor, while Crystal Palace face Fulham in a vital south London derby and Everton entertain Wolves in what promises to be a well-balanced game.
Finally, there will be emotional scenes when Cardiff City entertain Bournemouth, as the Welsh side and fans remember striker Emiliano Sala, whose plane disappeared in the English Channel as he flew over to join the club from Nantes.
