English FA Premiership: After a brief respite for the FA Cup third round the Premiership returns to action with a full midweek programme tonight with Chelsea against Liverpool the pick of the nine games.
The two teams have battled it out for the fourth Champions League place for the last two seasons, with Liverpool missing out after a Stamford Bridge defeat on the last day of last season.
While that remains the extent of Liverpool's ambition, Chelsea are now eyeing bigger things.
The London club's form, though, has dipped in recent weeks and Saturday's 2-2 FA Cup draw at First Division Watford contained little to suggest an immediate recovery is on the cards.
Two defeats and a draw from their last five league games have seen Claudio Ranieri's side slip to third in the standings, three points behind Arsenal and four behind Manchester United.
The Italian continues to shuffle his large squad but admits he might have to review that policy in the case of John Terry.
The England centre back was rested on Saturday and Watford took full advantage with a series of crosses and long balls into the box that left Marcel Desailly looking badly exposed.
"We missed him," Ranieri said of Terry. "Can I afford to leave him out again? At this moment, no."
Despite much speculation, Chelsea have yet to add to their £111 million pre-season spending in the current transfer window, with AS Roma denying that their Romanian defender Christian Chivu would be moving to west London.
Hernan Crespo has recovered from a virus and is likely to replace Adrian Mutu. Mutu has suffered a 12-game drought, paving the way for either Crespo or Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to make their return - while goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is back after shaking off his groin strain.
Winger Damien Duff (shoulder) and midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron (back) are close to full fitness but will miss out against Liverpool, and Emmanuel Petit (knee) is still out.
Liverpool are also denying that Djibril Cisse has signed for the club, though the big French striker remains likely to at some stage.
Manager Gerard Houllier will have been pleased to see Emile Heskey on target in Sunday's 2-0 FA Cup win over Third Division Yeovil. Heskey, along with most of his team-mates, has looked decidedly average this season as Liverpool find themselves in sixth place, behind Charlton Athletic and Fulham.
Steven Gerrard is out with the groin injury which prevented him playing on Sunday. It is highly likely that Liverpool will also be without their captain on Saturday at home to Aston Villa.
Michael Owen, who did not even make the FA Cup trip to Somerset despite being declared fit, could well make his return tonight after six weeks out.
Milan Baros, Jamie Carragher and Steve Finnan are all a few weeks away from a return - and Chris Kirkland is out for a couple of months with his broken finger, so Houllier has little room for change.
Liverpool are already 20 points adrift of Manchester United, who have chalked up five successive league wins since going down 1-0 to Chelsea in November.
The league champions came from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Cup on Sunday and were boosted by Wes Brown playing for the first time this season.
Rio Ferdinand looks set to miss the derby clash as he battles to recover from a flu virus. United's record signing is still deciding whether to appeal against his eight-month suspension for a missed drugs test and his absence is likely to offer another opportunity to Brown, who made a successful return from cruciate knee ligament surgery.
John O'Shea took a nasty bang on the head at Villa Park, but should be fit, Phil Neville is also expected to return from a minor ankle problem while Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy will also return to the starting line-up.
Although United thrashed Bolton 4-0 in August they have lost to them twice - both at Old Trafford - in the last two seasons and only drew 1-1 at the Reebok last season.
Bolton could be boosted by the arrival of new Spanish striker Javi Moreno, who is to go straight into the squad if he passes a medical following his loan move from Atletico Madrid on Monday.
Arsenal also play a team who have sometimes given them problems in the last few seasons when they travel to Everton. Everton's 2-1 win in October 2002, secured by Wayne Rooney's memorable goal, ended Arsenal's unbeaten start to last season while they had to work hard for a 2-1 home win in August.
Dennis Bergkamp and Sylvain Wiltord have been ruled out as manager Arsene Wenger considers several changes to his line-up. Wenger recalled several players - including Martin Keown, Lauren, Edu and Kanu - for Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie at Leeds, but could now bring back Pascal Cygan and Robert Pires.
Bergkamp has, nevertheless, been ruled out with a calf problem, while Wiltord has injured his ankle in training. Jeremie Aliadiere has at least recovered from the illness which ruled him out of the 4-1 win at Elland Road.
Everton also have major injury doubts over Thomas Gravesen, Alan Stubbs and Duncan Ferguson, so manager David Moyes knows the task could be even harder even if Tomasz Radzinski - rested in the Cup win over Norwich - should return.
Moyes, who also has a slight doubt over Rooney with a muscle strain, said: "The players are keen to show what they can do. They did it last season and we know we are going to need a lot of good fortune and a lot of real hard, honest working performances coupled with technique and the ability to take any chance that comes, because against Arsenal you do not get many."
Winger Jermaine Pennant has been recalled to the Leeds squad for the visit to St James' Park to face Newcastle. Pennant, on loan from Arsenal, missed Sunday's 4-1 FA Cup third-round defeat to the Gunners as they did not want him cup-tied. Caretaker-boss Eddie Gray will again call on Frazer Richardson at right-back as Gary Kelly is out for another week with a foot injury.
