Saturday 19 March 2016 14:20, UK
How will Chelsea stop Dimitri Payet? Can Crystal Palace upset league leaders Leicester? Will Rafa Benitez get his first win as Newcastle manager?
The Premier League returns to action on Saturday lunchtime when Arsenal travel to Goodison Park, before four 3pm kick-offs, including Leicester's trip to Crystal Palace.
The Saturday Night Football clash sees Swansea host struggling Aston Villa, and there's a bumper edition of Super Sunday with the Tyne-Wear derby followed by Manchester City versus Manchester United.
With all that and more to look forward to, here's what to keep an eye out for...
Can Swansea earn breathing space at Villa's expense? (Swansea City v Aston Villa, 5.30pm Saturday)
A battling defeat at Bournemouth brought to an end a two-game winning run for Swansea, but the visit of Aston Villa offers another opportunity to extend the gap over the bottom four.
It currently stands at eight points, but with Newcastle and Sunderland playing each other on Sunday, the Swans have the chance to take a big step towards safety.
Meanwhile, nine points adrift and with no wins from their last 14 away games, the outlook for Villa remains bleak, and even victory on Saturday Night Football only marginally improves their odds of survival.
Will Everton's poor home form hand Arsenal the advantage? (Everton v Arsenal, 12.45pm Saturday)
It's been a strange season for Everton fans. On the one hand they have an excellent shot at a first FA Cup final since 2009, but on the other, it's hard to shake the feeling they have underachieved in the league.
Roberto Martinez's side sit 12th with nine wins from 28 matches, and Saturday's visit of Arsenal brings another challenging fixture. They have just one win from their last 18 meetings with the Gunners in all competitions, and recent performances at home have not been encouraging.
Everton have a single victory from their last eight league games at Goodison Park, but with Arsene Wenger's future the subject of debate among the club's supporters, there may not be a better time to welcome this weekend's opponents.
How will Chelsea stop Dimitri Payet? (Chelsea v West Ham, 3pm Saturday)
It's a question few clubs have answered this season. The Frenchman's inch-perfect free-kick at Old Trafford helped keep West Ham's FA Cup dream alive, and he's likely to play a key role if they are to take anything from Stamford Bridge this weekend.
The Hammers, nine points clear of Chelsea, can jump into the top four with victory as Manchester City don't play until Sunday.
The potential absence of Diego Costa, awaiting suspension after his flare-up at Goodison Park, could help their cause, but Chelsea haven't lost to West Ham in their last nine league games at Stamford Bridge.
Can Palace stop the rot with the league leaders in town? (Crystal Palace v Leicester City, 3pm Saturday)
Victory over Reading and progress to an FA Cup semi-final offered respite for Palace after a dismal few months. They have taken just four points from the last 36 available, a run that's seen them sink to 15th.
The prospect of welcoming Leicester City to Selhurst Park is unlikely to be greeted with much optimism, then.
The league leaders have taken to winning by the odd goal when not playing well, most recently against Newcastle, but also in games against Norwich and Watford too.
The sign of champions? With eight games to go, it's increasingly looking that way.
Have the Hornets ended their goal troubles in time to face Stoke? (Watford v Stoke City, 3pm Saturday)
Only Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have won more points for their side than Odion Ighalo, so it was a relief for Watford fans to see the Nigerian back on the scoresheet for the first time in eight games against Arsenal.
An FA Cup run is a welcome bonus for a Hornets side comfortably in mid-table, and Quique Sanchez Flores will hope their Emirates double will get the goals flowing in the league too.
Watford have failed to score in seven of their last nine top-flight games, and have won just two of their last 12.
Stoke's hopes of European qualification suffered a dent against Southampton, but the visitors can take heart from impressive recent results on their travels, including a draw at Stamford Bridge and a 3-1 win at the Vitality Stadium.
Can the goal-shy Canaries break down Tony Pulis' stubborn Baggies? (West Brom v Norwich City, 3pm Saturday)
On paper, it doesn't look promising for Norwich. They are 10 games without a win and on their worst run in the Premier League since November 2004.
Goals have been the main problem in recent weeks, with just one from their last four league matches.
Unfortunately for the visitors, keeping clean sheets is something of a specialty for teams led by Tony Pulis. Since taking charge in January 2015, no Premier League team has kept more than West Brom (20 clean sheets).
Can Rafa Benitez get his first win in the Tyne-Wear derby? (Newcastle v Sunderland, 1.30pm Sunday)
Sunderland have won the last six Tyne-Wear derbies in the league, so if Rafa Benitez can engineer a home win on Sunday he'll boost his popularity as well as Newcastle's survival hopes.
The Magpies boss stressed the positives after a narrow defeat in his first game in charge at Leicester, but their deficiencies in attack look to have lingered even after the departure of Steve McClaren.
The good news for Newcastle is Sunderland have shipped 38 away goals this season, the most in the league. The two managers famously don't see eye-to-eye, so this could be a spiky affair at St James' Park.
Can Southampton avenge the 6-1 defeat suffered at the hands of Liverpool? (Southampton v Liverpool, 1.30pm Sunday)
The Capital One Cup drubbing handed down to Ronald Koeman's side by Liverpool in early December was a low point for the Saints, who have bounced back from a poor winter to sit seventh after 30 games.
Liverpool have a good recent record against Sunday's opponents as they look for their third consecutive league win at St Mary's, but Europa League commitments could hand the hosts the edge on Sunday.
It's a competition Southampton want to be part of again next season, and another European night against Manchester United should demand a high-energy performance from Liverpool.
And if the Reds show signs of fatigue, Southampton could exploit a lack of freshness as they push for a top-five finish themselves.
Can Manchester United put their local rivals under pressure for fourth? (Man City v Man Utd, 4pm Sunday)
They won't be mathematically out of the running for a while yet, but it's hard to see Man City as title contenders if they don't beat United on Super Sunday.
They are already 12 points behind Leicester, albeit with a game in hand, but Manuel Pellegrini's side cannot afford any more slip-ups after their goalless draw at Norwich. In fact, with United and West Ham chasing City's fourth spot, they might actually be looking down rather than up.
For United the carrot is clear, a win over City puts them one point behind their local rivals and back in the frame for a Champions League place next season.
Will Spurs stay cool as the title race heats up on the south coast? (Tottenham v Bournemouth, 4pm Sunday)
With Leicester in action on Saturday, Spurs could be as many as eight points behind the league leaders by kick-off.
They did their bit for the title race last weekend with a win at Villa, only for Leicester to respond in kind on Monday Night Football, but this time it's Spurs' turn to answer.
A few weeks ago this fixture looked relatively straightforward for the hosts, but Bournemouth have won three on the bounce and have lost just one of the last nine league games on the road.
So facing a 3-0 deficit in the Europa League after a heavy first-leg defeat to Borussia Dortmund, Mauricio Pochettino may be best off resting his stars again for the league.
