EPL Preview: Arsenal's Title Credentials Face the Ultimate Test

Arsenal v Man City

Arsenal had just recorded a fabulous win against Birmingham City, and Arsene Wenger will be keen to keep things ticking over nicely. The dressing room at Arsenal was probably very down after the draw against Wigan Athletic, but the great win at St. Andrews, coupled with Chelsea's failure to win against Aston Villa, has meant that the Gunners have some breathing space between them and their rivals.

Also, Chelsea's draw against Aston Villa has meant that Arsenal is probably the closest challenger for Manchester United to the title. Arsene Wenger will be looking to maintain that status when they entertain the Manchester City side that comes into the match in the second place.

However, Roberto Mancini has not spoken about winning the title at all at this stage, which seems a surprise given that they are level on points with United. Roberto Mancini will have to make some changes to his starting eleven after David Silva was injured in last weekend's match against Blackpool. Likewise, Mario Balotelli is also ruled out of this game after having a swollen knee.

Arsene Wenger has no new injury worries and has a full strength squad to pick.

Arsenal v Man City kicks off at 20:45 CET on Emirates

Aston Villa v Sunderland

Aston Villa showed signs of recovery against Chelsea after they secured a draw that looked very unlikely when the Blues had scored in the final few minutes. Gerard Houllier will be delighted with Villa's response to the thrashing at Manchester City, and he will be looking to expect the same when they face Sunderland at Villa Park. Even though the draw helped Aston Villa to raise their mood, it has done nothing to raise their position in the table: they headed into the match at Stamford Bridge three points above the drop zone, but now find themselves just two points above it. Hence, Gerard Houllier will be looking to make Villa Park a fortress once again, just like Martin O'Neill.

Sunderland also improved their form, thanks to the thrashing dished out to Blackburn. However, it was a victory achieved at home, and Steve Bruce will certainly have something to say about the club's away form. The club have won just one game away from home all season, and this game gives Steve Bruce the perfect opportunity to change that. Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor seems to have recovered from the hamstring injury that troubled him in the match against Chelsea and will play in this match.

Aston Villa v Sunderland kicks off at 20:45 CET on Villa Park

Newcastle v West Ham

West Ham United have finally got out of the relegation zone this season, and Avram Grant will safely say that they will not be looking forward to heading back there once again. Just before Christmas, Avram Grant's job was in the line but doubts seem to have been relinquished with a run of good results. That run was massively improved with the home victory against Wolverhampton, which was their first victory at home for over a month. Newcastle, meanwhile, had an even more impressive victory against fellow relegation strugglers Wigan Athletic away from home.

Even though Alan Pardew has lost two of the games that he has managed, he can safely say that he has won two, and victories are what that keep you afloat  in a league of extreme competitiveness. The victory was even more impressive because they managed to do so without the services of star striker Andy Carroll. It has been revealed that Andy Carroll will once again miss Newcastle United's starting line-up after having failed to recover from his injury. West Ham United could field fit again Mark Noble in the midfield.

Newcastle v West Ham kicks off at 20:45 CET on St. James' Park

Wolves v Chelsea

Carlo Ancelotti will be massively disappointed after his side failed to secure all three points against Aston Villa after doing so well in the latter stages. Chelsea's players celebrated massively after John Terry scored the goal that looked like the winner, but few would have predicted that it would change horribly for Carlo Ancelotti only minutes later. He will be looking to get things back on track once again when they face a struggling Wolves side. Carlo Ancelotti will be relieved that his side is once again amongst the goals, something that has been a problem for the Londoners lately.

Wolverhampton Wanderers failed to match the high expectations that came about after their surprise victory over Liverpool in the match against West Ham United. Following the defeat, Wolves slipped into the bottom three once again, and things are looking bleak for the Midlanders. Mick McCarthy does not have any good news on the injury front, as both Kevin Doyle and Jody Craddock are missing. Chelsea, meanwhile, have Branislav Ivanovic back from his one game suspension; he is expected to add some still to the defence that conceded three goals against Aston Villa.

Wolves v Chelsea kicks off at 20:45 CET on Molineaux

Blackburn v Liverpool

Roy Hodgson proved that he can still cut it out at a big club like Liverpool after they came back from being a goal down to win against Bolton in the closing minutes. That win went some way into curing the pain that was caused by the defeat to Wolves. However, Roy Hodgson will know that nothing is good until they continue the display that they put in against Bolton Wanderers into the Blackburn game.

Liverpool are still 11 points behind Tottenham in the fourth place, and failure to qualify for the Champions League for the second successive season might have serious implications on the club's ability to hold on to the star players like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. Blackburn are comfortably sitting at mid-table, but Steve Kean will know that it does not take long before they fall into the relegation zone if performances do not improve.

Blackburn v Liverpool kicks off at 21:00 CET on Ewood Park

Bolton v Wigan

Bolton Wanderers will be very happy to come back onto their home pitch after successive away defeats at Stamford Bridge and Anfield. The match against Wigan Athletic gives them the best chance of securing qualification to European competitions after a long gap. The last time that Bolton were in the European competitions was more than four years ago under Sam Allardyce, and they will be looking to achieve that once again under Owen Coyle. Wigan Athletic, meanwhile, will not have such ambitions at the moment because they are languishing at the bottom of the table.

Just when it seemed that they had made their way out of the relegation zone, the recent defeat by Newcastle United on their home pitch made life difficult for Roberto Martinez. His side is just one place above the relegation zone, and if they do not win at the Reebok Stadium, then in all probability they will end up in the relegation zone by this weekend.

Gretar Steinsson is a major doubt for this game and Wigan Athletic will be without the services of on loan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi. However, the absence of Charles N'Zogbia will be the biggest problem felt by Roberto Martinez.

Bolton v Wigan kicks off at 21:00 CET on the Reebok Stadium

Everton v Tottenham

Everton's form has been not so good in the past few weeks, and they face one of the trickiest ties as they step into the New Year. Everton usually starts slowly and picks up the pace during the December time. However, the season has been unusually poor for Everton, and they are still able to put up a fight in the Barclays Premier League. At this going rate, it is very difficult to see Everton qualify for European competitions this season like they have consistently done so for the past few years. The financial implications of failing to qualify for the European competition might already be visible for David Moyes.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have Champions League in the sights after the club overtook Chelsea to go into the New Year in fourth position. Chelsea's draw against Aston Villa cemented their place in the fourth place, and they will be looking to maintain their position when they face Everton at Goodison Park. Phil Jagielka, who scored the own goal against Stoke City in the weekend, will not be featuring for Everton as he has developed a thigh injury.

Everton v Tottenham kicks off at 21:00 CET on Goodison Park

Xavier Gonzalez - mysportshub.co.uk