1. Can the Reds burst Leicester’s bubble?
AFTER A WEEKEND of FA Cup fourth round games, it’s a return to Premier League action on Tuesday with eight fixtures scheduled and two more to come on Wednesday.
The pick of the bunch involves current table-toppers Leicester City and seventh-placed Liverpool at the King Power Stadium.
Claudio Ranieri’s should be well-rested as they haven’t played in 10 days — when Jamie Vardy returned to the scoresheet in a 3-0 win over Stoke.
The Reds, unbeaten in the last seven league meetings with Leicester, are likely to welcome back a rake of first team regulars after fielding a second-string team in the 0-0 draw with West Ham on Saturday.
2. Will Pep announcement affect City’s title challenge?
Second from top visit second from bottom as Manchester City travel to the Stadium of Light confident of pouring more misery on Sunderland’s season.
City didn’t announce any signings before the transfer window closed at midnight but they did confirm a significant new arrival as Pep Guardiola will take over from Manuel Pellegrini in the summer.
Despite their financial power, it has been a long road convincing the most sought-after coach in the world to come to England but they pulled out all the stops and finally have their man.
Pellegrini showed his class in how he handled yesterday’s press conference and it would be crazy to think the City players will down tools with a potential quadruple still up for grabs but it will be interesting to see how they react now they know the Chilean is on the way out — starting away to Sunderland tonight.
3. Sanchez return a timely boost for Gunners
Having missed two months out with a hamstring injury, Alexis Sanchez has made a couple of substitute appearances for Arsenal in the defeat to Chelsea and the win over Burnley, where he scored the decisive goal on Saturday.
Now the forward is set to make a return to the starting line-up for the first time since 29 November against Southampton this evening.
The Gunners have failed to win their last three matches in the league and were thumped 4-0 by the Saints on St Stephen’s Day.
However, Sanchez is the type of player that could prove the difference if given the chance.
Meanwhile, Charlie Austin could make his first start for Southampton after his goalscoring debut from the bench in the win over Manchester United.
4. Sparky seeks to do the double over LvG
The FA Cup victory over Derby County on Saturday appears to have secured Louis van Gaal a stay of execution but the heat will be very much back on if Man United suffer a second consecutive defeat to Stoke.
His team were completely out-played at the Britannia Stadium over Christmas with Bojan Krkic and Marko Arnautovic on the scoresheet in a 2-0 win.
There’s mixed news in United’s midfield as Bastian Schweinsteiger could be out for a month while Michael Carrick may return after his cameo against Derby.
On an Irish front, Potters defender Marc Wilson will be sidelined for around 12 weeks after picking up a knee injury.
5. Will new signings make an instant impact?
There hasn’t been any marquee signings among the Premier League’s top clubs, but the likes of Newcastle, Stoke and Watford have all been busy in recent days.
Many of the latest additions may not have received clearance to take part in this round of fixtures, but we’re sure to see some of the new arrivals get run-outs.
Andros Townsend could make his Magpies debut against Everton on Sunday while Emmanuel Adebayor may feature for Crystal Palace against Bournemouth.
