1) Will Leicester increase Wenger’s woes?
Leicester City currently hold something that belongs to Arsenal: fourth place. The never-say-die attitude that saved them last season has spilled over into this one and Leicester have been one of the most exciting sides in the league; they never know when they are beaten, their resilience demonstrated by two stirring fightbacks from 2-0 down in the past fortnight. They never stop and the Premier League’s only unbeaten side will be determined not to let Arsenal leapfrog them by beating them at the King Power Stadium. Indeed they may regard Arsenal as wounded prey after their defeat at Chelsea last weekend. Francis Coquelin could be out with a knee injury and Arsenal will be in trouble if they fail to match Leicester’s intensity, not to mention their attacking brio. Inspired by Riyad Mahrez, Leicester have scored 13 goals in six matches. Arsenal? Five in six. JS
• Ranieri surprised by Arsenal’s Premier League title drought
• Flamini proves point in Arsenal fans’ biggest fixture
2) West Ham seek consistency at home
Analysing West Ham United’s start to the season is a tricky business. Slaven Bilic’s side are third after last week’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City and the feelgood factor around Upton Park meant that there was a calmer reaction than usual to Tuesday’s extra-time defeat to Leicester in the Capital One Cup, a level of patience that Sam Allardyce did not always enjoy when he was manager. Supporters who railed against Allardyce’s caution have quickly warmed to Bilic’s willingness to push forward, not least because his fearless tactics have led to famous and unlikely wins at Arsenal, City and Liverpool. Dimitri Payet has been exceptional, Victor Moses has added pace and incision on the flanks, Manuel Lanzini is a neat passer and Diafra Sakho is scoring. Yet the memory of those defeats to Bournemouth and Leicester at Upton Park has not been washed away yet. Which is the real West Ham? The team who ended City’s 100% record or the team who could have been 5-0 down by half-time against Bournemouth? Fresh from drawing 1-1 at Anfield, Norwich City will hope that it is the latter and Alex Neil’s side will have a chance of achieving a positive result if they can frustrate the Hammers in the early stages. West Ham picked up their first home win by beating Newcastle United 2-0 last week, but they were settled by a pearler from Payet in the ninth minute. Scoring early allowed West Ham to use their pace on the break and Norwich, who have good counterattacking players, will be determined not to allow them as much space. JS
• Barney Ronay: West ham and Bilic a perfect mix before Stratford move
• Leicester knock West Ham out of Capital One Cup in extra time
3) Can Ings spark Liverpool?
Under fire after a disappointing run of results, Brendan Rodgers could probably do without a visit from Aston Villa. Anfield has been a happy hunting ground for Villa since they last lost there in December 2010, and although Paul Lambert was in charge when they won there last season and in December 2012, Tim Sherwood also had Liverpool’s number at Wembley in April. Neither side are in form and Anfield will be an anxious place. Liverpool are winless in their last four league matches and Villa are a point above the relegation zone after failing to win since the opening day. Selling Christian Benteke to Liverpool in the summer was bound to make life harder for Villa, although they have still scored two more goals than the team who bought the Belgian, who is expected to miss out against his former club with a hamstring injury. Yet could it be a blessing in disguise for Liverpool? Danny Ings scored his first goal for Liverpool in the draw with Norwich and his movement gave their attack more zest after he replaced Benteke at half-time. JS
• Rodgers running out of time as air of resignation engulfs Liverpool
• Liverpool deny approaching Ancelotti to replace Rodgers
• Gestede gives Villa derby win over Birmingham
4) Can Rémy lead the line for Chelsea?
Headline news: Diego Costa is suspended. Chelsea will be without their roguish striker against Newcastle United and that could mean there will be a rare start for Loïc Rémy against a former club, assuming José Mourinho prefers the Frenchman to Radamel Falcao. Rémy’s opportunities at Chelsea have been limited because of Costa’s form – although he started the Champions League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv – but he is a fine striker, quick, clever and deadly, and Newcastle’s teetering defenders will not relish the task of containing him. Judging by the way that Watford’s Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo tore Newcastle apart, Rémy could fill his boots if Chelsea’s creative players are in the mood. JS
• Mourinho warns FA has set precedent in rescinding Gabriel’s ban
• Anger as Costa given three-match ban for violent conduct
• Michael Walker: McClaren will get time at Newcastle but sympathy is limited
5) Swansea need to rediscover menace in front of goal
This is a match that Swansea could do with winning if they are to attain their highest ever league finish. Pre-season, and in the early weeks after the season kicked off, Swansea looked a fair bet to continue their serene progress under Garry Monk and even end up above the sixth place that John Toshack’s thrilling side achieved in 1982. But doubts are spreading, with the midweek Capital One Cup defeat by Hull City meaning they have failed to score for three matches in a row. Far from a crisis, but irksome enough to draw attention to the fact that Jefferson Montero has gone off the boil after his scorching start to the campaign, Gylfi Sigurdsson has yet to find the net and there is a strong, perhaps excessive, reliance on Bafétimbi Gomis remaining sharp. Finishing higher than last season means avoiding hapless streaks and leapfrogging sides who were above them – that includes Southampton, who go into Saturday’s game after a satisfying 6-0 win at MK Dons and with Graziano Pellè, Sadio Mané, Dusan Tadic and Shane Long all in good form. So Swansea will probably need to score a few to win. That task could be harder if Ryan Bertrand returns for the home side. Plenty to look forward to at St Mary’s then. PD
• Livermore returns as Swansea go down at Hull
• Mané shows what Manchester United lack at No10
6) Wilson hopes to send a message to Hodgson
Charlie Austin got an England call-up last season after successfully taking his lower-league scoring exploits into the top flight. Callum Wilson has ambitions of doing the same and looks well set to do so. Eddie Howe said last week that as far as he knows, Roy Hodgson has yet to watch Wilson in person. From the striker’s viewpoint, this weekend might be a good one for the England manager to check him out, as his speed, strength and sharpness could do further damage to a Stoke City defence that has yet to find a way of coping without Ryan Shawcross. Bournemouth, by contrast, coped well without their injured captain and centre-back, Tommy Elphick, last week, as Sylvain Distin stepped in and showed he can still be solid in the Premier League – against Sunderland, at least. Stoke’s creativity and firepower mean the veteran will face a far tougher test this weekend. PD
• Crouch strikes to see Stoke past Fulham
• Ritchie’s rocket blows Sunderland away
7) A chance to see Manchester City’s fab four?
David Silva pulling up injured in the warm-up last weekend deprived us of the first chance to see the Silva-De Bruyne-Sterling-Agüero quartet so the opportunity to witness that this weekend is certainly something to look forward to. Mind you, Spurs look like they have the makings of a nifty forward line too, with Delle Alli blossoming, Son Heung-min looking like a splendid purchase and Christian Eriksen getting back into the groove. All Mauricio Pochettino’s side need now is for Harry Kane to regain the sharpness that saw him finish just behind Agüero in last season’s scoring charts. His chances of doing that could hinge heavily on whether or not Vincent Kompany is fit for the visitors. PD
• Flamini double brings down Tottenham
• Do Manchester City have a new Pogba in Ntcham?
• De Bruyne confident of making swift progress at City
8) Can Rooney get off the mark in the league?
It is becoming increasingly difficult for Louis van Gaal to justify including Wayne Rooney in his first XI, whether at centre forward or in the hole, but the England striker should start against Sunderland. There is no knowing how long young Anthony Martial can sustain the brilliant start to his United career so his club need to keep Rooney match fit and full of confidence – the visit of Sunderland represents a prime opportunity for him to get his first Premier League goal since April. PD
• Van Gaal wrestles with United’s left-back problem
• Rooney ends domestic drought in win over Ipswich
• Advocaat looks on bright side after Sunderland lose to Manchester City
9) Nyom can keep Palace’s wide men at bay
Odion Ighalo, in tandem with Troy Deeney, has been a delightful feature of Watford’s strong start to the Premier League season but mention should also be made of another player who arrived at Vicarage Road via Granada. After six years in Spain, Allan Nyom has made an excellent start to life in England, proving a crucial part of Watford’s defensive solidity while also launching regular dangerous raids from right-back. They have not conceded at home so far this season and Nyom could help stifle Crystal Palace’s conniving widemen – and perhaps pose them a problem at the other end. PD
• Ighalo double stuns Newcastle
• Palace cruise through in Capital One Cup thanks to Gayle hat-trick
10) Lukaku can shine at the Hawthorns – with Deulofeu’s help
Romelu Lukaku is so powerful and has had so much money and hope invested in him that it is easy to forget that he is still only 22. At times he is devastating – such as during the 3-0 win at Southampton last month – but at other times he seems to lack finesse and even struggles to get involved in matches when Everton’s play becomes too intricate for him. It’s a problem because Everton have no real alternative to the Belgian. When Lukaku returns to the Hawthorns, the scene of his prolific season, Everton would be well advised to give a first league start of the campaign to Gerard Deulofeu, who was wonderful in the midweek win against Reading, and could provide Lukaku with crosses and also open up winding avenues of attack that Arouna Koné cannot. PD
• Barry says Barkley can reach Gerrard’s level
• Berahino goes from villain to hero in West Brom win at Villa
