The champions have shown a chilling consistency in opening up a nine-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the table as they continue their remorseless march towards a second successive title.

But even though Arsenal are 17 points adrift in sixth place, they have long been a thorn in the champions' side. Chelsea's 1-0 victory in August was their first in the league over their London rivals for a decade and Arsenal have won all seven league matches they have played at Highbury this season.

"Everybody hopes they'll drop points," Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said of Chelsea this week. "Ourselves, Arsenal and Liverpool are all in the same boat where that's concerned."

The potential banana skins, however, are becoming fewer and farther between as Chelsea have already played their away matches at United (lost 1-0) and Liverpool (won 4-1).

Claude Makelele's knee injury will keep him out of the match but Chelsea have not missed him as much as some had hoped with Michael Essien slotting in comfortably in front of the defence.

Arsene Wenger is likely to be able to call on the experience of Dennis Bergkamp, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring strain.

The 36-year-old Dutch striker said Arsenal should not look beyond Sunday's match and let the title look after itself.

"It will be a hard game if you think about winning a championship," said Bergkamp. "We need to think about our own game at the moment and focus on getting good results especially over the Christmas period."

United travel to Aston Villa on Saturday looking for their seventh away league win of the season having cut the gap on Chelsea to nine points with a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in their game in hand on Wednesday.

Villa will be without injured defender Olof Mellberg and United strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rooney will fancy their chances of exploiting the absence of the experienced Swede.

"You never know what can happen in football," Ferguson said. "Chelsea could slip up and if they do we want to be the team that's next to them."

Fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur travel to Middlesbrough in Sunday's early match and a win would move them into third above Liverpool, who are in Japan on World Club Championship duties.

Newcastle are on a high after ending a four-match winless run with a

1-0 victory over Arsenal last weekend and they will be looking for another win when they play West Ham at the Upton Park on Saturday.

"We go there with confidence, but we know there is a very fine line between success and failure in this game," Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer said.

At the bottom end of the table on Saturday, Harry Redknapp takes charge of a Portsmouth side at Fratton Park for the first time since his remarkable return from Southampton. Fellow-strugglers West Bromwich Albion providing the opposition.

FIXTURES
Saturday, December 17 (GMT)
Aston Villa v Manchester United (1245)
Everton v Bolton Wanderers (1500)
Fulham v Blackburn Rovers (1500)
Portsmouth v West Brom (1500)
West Ham v Newcastle United (1500)
Wigan Athletic v Charlton Athletic (1500)
Manchester City v Birmingham City (1715)
Sunday, December 18 (GMT)
Middlesbrough v Tottenham Hotspur (1330)
Arsenal v Chelsea (1600)