All roads lead to London
Arsenal can take a huge stride towards reclaiming the Premier League title by beating Manchester United in an enticing top-of-the-table clash on Saturday.
The two sides are level on points at the top of the table but Arsenal's game in hand means a six-point advantage would be within their grasp if they can overcome the champions at the Emirates Stadium.
Having won both Premier League encounters with United last season and put together a 17-match unbeaten run in all competitions in the current campaign, Wenger's men will not be short of confidence that they can claim all three points.
But United are in equally bullish mood, having hit the net four times in each of their last four matches and the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and new boy Carlos Tevez all running into form.
Nothing will be decided on Saturday but the outcome will have important psychological repercussions for the rest of the campaign and United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes the match has come at the right time for his squad.
He said: "Everything is coming together, as I thought it would, and in good time to take on Arsenal in what could be a key match in our title defence.
"It's still an open race but Arsenal have had a great start and they're the ones we are chasing at the moment. The main thing is I know we will chase them with great fervour and determination."
Arsenal's early season run has established them as serious title contenders and Ferguson expects them to stay the course.
"I know challenging for a title is a new experience for a lot of their players, but some of them have been there before and the manager has, and that is a big help," he said.
The Scot is also anticipating that Chelsea and Liverpool will come back into contention.
Powered by a revitalised Frank Lampard, Chelsea are looking strong and will expect to continue their winning run at the expense of Wigan on Saturday. Chris Hutchings's struggling side has lost five games on the trot and not won in any competition since beating Sunderland 3-0 on August 18.
Hutchings is the bookmakers favourite to be the next Premier League boss to be dismissed, despite only succeeding Paul Jewell in the summer, but he insists his side will take on Chelsea in a positive frame of mind.
"We aren't going to sit back: we have to be positive and give the crowd something to shout about," he said. "I'm confident we can get it right."
Liverpool face a tough test away to Blackburn, who will be bidding for an eighth consecutive win in all competitions when Rafael Benitez's side come calling.
Benitez's team have won just twice in their last six Premiership matches and the Spaniard underlined the importance of neutralising the threat posed by Blackburn's strike-force of Benni McCarthy and Roque Santa Cruz.
The Reds boss said: "Mark Hughes is doing a very good job and the understanding between the players and the strikers is very good. They are playing nice, good football and winning games."
New Tottenham boss Juande Ramos begins his bit to haul the club out of the relegation zone with a trip to fellow strugglers Middlesbrough.
Elsewhere on Saturday, bottom side Derby travel to Aston Villa, Everton host Birmingham and Portsmouth take their strong away record to Newcastle.
Fixtures
(1500 GMT unless stated)
Saturday
Arsenal v Man Utd (1245 GMT), Aston Villa v Derby, Blackburn v Liverpool (1715 GMT), Everton v Birmingham, Fulham v Reading, Middlesbrough v Tottenham, Newcastle v Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic v Chelsea
Sunday
West Ham v Bolton (1600 GMT)
Monday
Manchester City v Sunderland (2000 GMT)
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