San Francisco Frontiers - Arsenal brace for Spurs clash without Gabriel, Man City in pursuit

Pep Guardiola's City could cut the Gunners' lead at the top of the table to just one point, at least for 24 hours, if they beat Newcastle on Saturday.

Reigning champions Liverpool desperately need a win after five defeats in their last six Premier League matches, while Rob Edwards takes charge of his first match as Wolves manager.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of this weekend's action:

Arteta's Gabriel conundrum

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has a major headache as he considers how to reshuffle his defence against Spurs in the likely absence of the injured Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Brazilian has been at the heart of the near-impregnable Gunners back line that has conceded just five goals in 11 Premier League matches.

But reports suggest he could be sidelined for weeks after suffering a thigh injury during Brazil's 2-0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.

Gabriel, who has formed a formidable central defensive partnership with William Saliba and is also a threat from set-pieces, is likely to be replaced by Piero Hincapie or Cristhian Mosquera.

The Gunners are four points clear of Manchester City after they drew 2-2 with Sunderland earlier this month, ending a streak of eight wins in all competitions with no goals conceded.

Arsenal remain favourites to secure a first Premier League title since 2003/04 and have an eye-catching record against their London rivals -- losing just once in the league at home to Tottenham since 1993.

But Spurs travel to the Emirates boasting the best away record in the league this season -- with four wins and a draw from five games.

Liverpool need quick fix

Liverpool's hopes of a successful title defence appear to be over after five defeats in six games left them eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

Sports analytics company Opta puts the champions' chances of winning the league at just over seven percent, following their 3-0 humbling by Manchester City before the international break.

Liverpool face Nottingham Forest, the only team who beat them at home last season, on Saturday with Arne Slot's men desperate to put their recent woes behind them.

The Reds' issues have been well documented but Liverpool's biggest problem is their leaky defence, which has so far conceded at least two goals in six of their past seven league games.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has warned the club could even miss out on Champions League qualification if they fail to strengthen their defence in the January transfer window.

Reports this week suggest they remain interested in signing Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi after a deal collapsed on transfer deadline day, but Liverpool need an immediate improvement.

Howe looks for 'big response' from Newcastle

Newcastle are languishing in 14th spot in the Premier League, with just three wins this season, as they prepare to welcome Manchester City to St James' Park on Saturday.

"It's been difficult to pinpoint one thing but certainly we know we have to improve the general performances," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe told the BBC.

"We're looking for more consistency -- we're looking for more goals. We're looking for a big response in this moment."

Howe would not have chosen City as his opponents this weekend. Pep Guardiola's men have not lost to the Magpies in the league, either home or away, since 2019.

Some sections of the northeast side's fan base are disgruntled but Howe will surely be given the benefit of the doubt by club chiefs after winning the League Cup last season and qualifying for the Champions League.

Fixtures

Saturday (1500 GMT unless stated)

Burnley v Chelsea (1230), Bournemouth v West Ham, Brighton v Brentford, Fulham v Sunderland, Liverpool v Nottingham Forest, Wolves v Crystal Palace, Newcastle v Manchester City (1730)

Sunday

Leeds v Aston Villa (1400), Arsenal v Tottenham (1630)

Monday

Manchester United v Everton (2000)

J.Scott--SFF