Majors square off in England, Chelsea-Liverpool & Man U-Arsenal
Published 1/18/2007 8:12:43 AM by Shane Barrow from Dallas, Texas U.S.A.
Liverpool host Chelsea
The weekend's action gets off to a mouthwatering start as Rafael Benitez's Liverpool side host Chelsea in Saturday's early kick-off hoping to end a run of five straight Barclays Premiership defeats to the champions as second meets third. Blues boss Jose Mourinho boasts a 100 per cent record against the Reds since taking over the reins at Stamford Bridge - the most recent a 1-0 win thanks to Barclays Premiership top-scorer Didier Drogba's goal - but the home side will be spurred by the fact they are yet to be beaten at Anfield in the league this season. Despite recently holding the edge over Chelsea in the cup competitions, Liverpool have found the net just once against Mourinho's Chelsea, Steven Gerrard their solitary scorer in a 4-1 defeat. A win for the Merseyside outfit would close the gap on their rivals to five points but it is Chelsea who hold the upper hand in the 29 Premier League meetings between the sides, having won 14 compared to the Reds' 11 victories - the other four being drawn.
Arsenal host Manchester United
The last Barclays Premiership game of the weekend sees two of the traditional 'big four' resume battle at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal inflicted Barclays Premiership leaders Manchester United's only home defeat of the season in August thanks to Emmanuel Adebayor's solitary strike and are yet to lose themselves at their new home. However, despite the well-documented Premier League history between these two great rivals, London encounters are surprisingly close with the Gunners just edging their opponents by five wins to four in 14 games and Arsene Wenger's side have not tasted victory in this fixture since November 25, 2001. Thierry Henry netted a brace that day and the France superstar has shown no signs of rustiness after his recent lay-off with three goals in three games. That said, United have been as impressive on the road as at home this season and boast 23 goals away from Old Trafford combined with an average goal per game ratio of 2.3 overall, comfortably the best in t he Barclays Premiership. Cristiano Ronaldo has been a constant menace to sides all season long and 13 goals already, including eight in his last seven league games, represents an incredible return for the midfielder.
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