While Leeds have spent the last week scrambling to avoid a slide into administration, Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri has been publicly musing about the possibility of adding to the 111 million pounds (158 million dollars) he spent on new players in the summer, when the January transfer window opens.

Chelsea are top of the league. Leeds are anchored to the bottom.

But regardless of their respective positions in English football's hierarchy, meetings between these two sides over the years have tended to be fiercely competitive and close affairs.

And despite Leeds' problems, they showed enough quality in last weekend's win at high-flying Charlton to suggest that will be the case again on Saturday, particularly if Mark Viduka continues to display the renewed appetite for the game he has displayed since Eddie Gray took over as caretaker manager following the sacking of Peter Reid.

Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri meanwhile has brushed off suggestions that one of his biggest summer signings, the 16.8-million-pound Argentinian striker Hernan Crespo has lost his scoring touch. After seven goals in his first nine appearances, Crespo has failed to score in his last three matches.

But Ranieri insists the Argentinian is settling in perfectly at Stamford Bridge.

"When Hernan first joined us he began scoring first very quickly but he didn't link so well with the other players," Ranieri explained.

"Now he is linking very well, but not scoring so many goals. I'm very happy with his attitude and the way he is playing for us now. It was important for me to find a new striker who could link up like Jimmy (Floyd Hasselbaink) and Eidur Gudjohnsen used to do."

Having played against Reading in midweek, Crespo could be rested with next week's Champions League match against Besiktas in mind.

Arsenal, who slipped to second place behind Chelsea after failing to break down Fulham on Sunday, will look for a return to winning ways in the league when they travel to Leicester, boosted by the return of Thierry Henry.

The French striker was given the night off as Arsenal's young stars demonstrated their quality in a 5-1 thrashing of Wolves in their midweek League Cup action.

But Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was quick to insist that the plaudits for the club's recent form should be shared around.

"Everybody is talking about Thierry now but there are other players who have done well.

"Ashley Cole, for example, had an outstanding game against Inter Milan and doesn't get the praise he deserves," Wenger said.

Manchester United are hopeful Paul Scholes will be fit enough to play some part in their home clash with Aston Villa.

The England midfielder has been out of action since the end of October, when he underwent surgery to correct a groin problem.

United boss Alex Ferguson admits he cannot wait to get Scholes, and fellow crock Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, back in his squad.

"You are talking about two very experienced, two great players and anybody would miss those players," Ferguson said.

"But Paul is very close to being back and Ole should be ready for New Year so you are going to have two very influential players coming back."