LONDON, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- There is little doubt over what is the standout game in the Premier League this weekend as league leaders Liverpool entertain Manchester City at Anfield.
While the fact that the biggest game in England has shifted to being Liverpool against Manchester City rather than against Manchester United may give some pause for thought, the fact is these are the two most powerful teams in the league at the moment and Sunday's game will go a long way to show who is favorite to finish top this season.
Liverpool currently hold a six-point lead over Pep Guardiola's side, who have at times looked fragile in defense this campaign, and City can expect to have to deal with Liverpool's rapid and direct play, with the home side looking to exploit space down the flanks.
Expect Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to push forward to try and deny City space, while Jordan Henderson snaps away in midfield to stop the visitors getting any rhythm to their game.
If Liverpool can disrupt City's passing and force players such as John Stones into errors, they will probably win, but Guardiola will be looking for his side to show maturity and weather the storm and he knows players such as Raheem Sterling (who again faces his former club) and Kun Aguero have the talent to make Liverpool pay for any errors in their pressure.
Few will be watching events at Anfield more closely than fans of third place Leicester City.
A win at home to Arsenal could see Leicester move into second place and close the gap at the top of the table, depending on what happens at Anfield.
Arsenal travel to Leicester following another poor Europa League display in midweek, knowing the key to taking something from the game is stopping Jamie Vardy, who has scored eight goals against them in eight starts.
However, the way Arsenal have defended of late, knowing you need to stop Vardy and actually managing to stop him are two very different matters
Chelsea kick the weekend off with a home game against Crystal Palace and Stamford Bridge is likely to be still buzzing after their fightback from 4-1 down to claim a 4-4 draw against Ajax in midweek.
Chelsea coach Frank Lampard will no doubt be asking for more control from his players against a tough and well-organized rival this Saturday.
Tottenham returned to form with a 4-0 win in the Champions League and face an interesting game against an excellent Sheffield United side that is so far unbeaten on the road this season.
West Ham will need to roll their sleeves up and fight harder than they have done in recent weeks when they tackle the always difficult trip to Burnley, while Bournemouth should be a good litmus test of where Newcastle United are in football terms after Newcastle's win away to West Ham a week ago.
Elsewhere both Southampton and Everton need points as the visitors try to recover to the horrible ankle injury suffered by Andre Gomes a week ago, while there is the first top-flight midlands derby between Wolves and Aston Villa for many year.
Meanwhile Manchester United entertain Brighton on Sunday and it will miss nobody's attention that their game is merely the aperitif to the main course of the weekend between their two bitterest rivals at Anfield and that is something that will really hurt United fans as they face the reality of their club's current situation adrift in mid-table.
