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Five talking points ahead of this weekend's Premier League action

Manchester United need home help while the Merseyside clubs have injury issues to overcome.

There are some intriguing Premier League fixtures in store this weekend as focus switches away from European action.

Here, the PA news agency picks out five of the main talking points heading into the weekend.

Can United finally win at home?

Manchester United lost 6-1 to Tottenham in their last match at Old Trafford
Manchester United lost 6-1 to Tottenham in their last match at Old Trafford (Alex Livesey/PA)

The peculiarities of the start of the 2020-21 season are highlighted by Manchester United's form. Tuesday's impressive 2-1 win at Paris St German in the Champions League extended their 100 per cent record on the road to a fifth game in all competitions, yet they have been embarrassed in both of their matches at Old Trafford to date. The shock 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace was compounded by a 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Tottenham, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stressing the need to kick-start their home form when Chelsea visit fresh from their home draws against Southampton and Sevilla.

Will table-topping Toffees come unstuck at Saints?

Carlo Ancelotti's latest reunion with James Rodriguez is working well for Everton
Carlo Ancelotti's latest reunion with James Rodriguez is working well for Everton (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Carlo Ancelotti's side enter game week six on top of the Premier League standings, having followed four straight wins with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against bitter rivals Liverpool. James Rodriguez's outstanding start to life on Merseyside has played a key role in that success but there are questions over the Colombia star's fitness ahead of the trip to Southampton. Ralph Hasenhuttl's men have rallied impressively since a poor first few games and will be sure to target under-fire Jordan Pickford on Sunday.

Can Klopp's Reds kick on in Virgil's absence?

Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines

Liverpool may have won 1-0 at Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday, but they are still reeling from the serious knee injury sustained by Virgil van Dijk after Pickford's controversial challenge in last weekend's Merseyside derby. Fabinho looks set to continue at centre-back after the defensive midfielder underlined his adaptability with a fine performance in Holland, but Sheffield United will look to unsettle a Liverpool backline playing in front of back-up goalkeeper Adrian. Chris Wilder's Blades are looking to get their winless season going and Rhian Brewster could make his debut at Anfield, just weeks after completing his move to South Yorkshire.

Will City hammer the Irons once more?

Manchester City have regularly ran amok at West Ham
Manchester City have regularly excelled at West Ham (Adam Davy/PA)

West Ham have a dreadful record against Manchester City and are looking to avoid equalling a club record 10 successive defeats against the same opponent. Pep Guardiola's men have won all five trips to the London Stadium, scoring at least four times on each occasion and racking up an eye-watering 22-1 aggregate scoreline. Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte are pushing to return as City head to east London, where David Moyes' men could hand lively Said Benrahma his debut as they look to build on the stunning 3-3 comeback draw at rivals Tottenham last time out.

Can Gunners shoot down injury-hit Foxes?

Arsenal beat Leicester 2-0 in the Carabao Cup last month
Arsenal beat Leicester 2-0 in the Carabao Cup last month (Tim Keeton/PA)

After winning their respective Europa League matches on Thursday, the two sides go toe-to-toe at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Mikel Arteta has made impressive strides as Arsenal boss and his side have not lost a home Premier League match in 2020. While the Gunners fell to a narrow 1-0 loss at the Etihad Stadium in their last league outing, Leicester suffered galling back-to-back home defeats to West Ham and Aston Villa. Brendan Rodgers is having to juggle a number of injury concerns ahead of the trip to the capital as Leicester, having already lost to Arsenal in this season's Carabao Cup, seek their first win at Arsenal since 1973.

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


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