Spectre of Mourinho heaps pressure on Chelsea

After the distractions of Europe its back to the Premier League this weekend and it could be a make or break week at the top of the table.

The pressure is really on Chelsea on Saturday as they take on West Ham in what, on paper, looks like a straightforward home win that would send Carlo Ancelotti's men back to the top of the table.

But it will be a test of Chelsea's mettle as the East End boys of West Ham will have no intention of rolling over against their rivals from the other side of London.

There is plenty of psychological pressure on the Blues as well. They seemed home and hosed in the race for the Premier League a couple of weeks ago, but after their shock loss to Manchester City two weeks ago they find themselves in a dog fight with Manchester United and Arsenal.

On top of that, Chelsea saw their rivals cruise to emphatic victories in Europe this week. If the Blues are to join them in the quarter finals they will have to overcome Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan on Tuesday.

The spectre of Mourinho will only add to the pressure on the players, and could well influence Ancelotti's team selection - offering the Hammers the chance of an upset.

To make matters worse Chelsea have key personnel on the sidelines. Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov are out while Ricardo Carvalho undergoes a test. But Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack are available after one-match suspensions. The form of John Terry, which appears to be fluctuating, will also be crucial.

West Ham are in dire need of points after losing to Bolton last weekend, and they are just three points off the relegation places. Benni McCarthy faces a fitness test but Herita Ilunga, Zavon Hines, Calum Davenport and Luis Boa Morte are all injured.

If Chelsea slip up, Arsenal can go top of the table if they overcome lowly Hull at the KC Stadium in the evening game on Saturday. The Gunners will fancy their chances after a magnificent display against Porto in midweek and could even welcome Cesc Fabregas back to the side.

Arsene Wenger's team have won their last four league games while the Tigers have lost their last three and lie second from bottom of the table. To be fair, Hull have not had a home game for more than a month, but they would have hoped for slightly easier opponents.

Another problem for Hull could be that Arsenal need goals. It is so tight at the top of the table that goal difference could be crucial at the end of the season and at the moment Arsenal are lagging behind United and Chelsea. The incentive for Nicklas Bendtner and co is that if both Chelsea and Arsenal win but the Gunners score two more goals than the Blues then they will go top of the table.

Elsewhere on Saturday two of the teams fighting for fourth place are in action. Spurs, who are currently in possession, take on Blackburn at White Hart Lane. Spurs are doing magnificently so far this season but face something of an injury crisis.

Aaron Lennon, Jonathan Woodgate and Carlo Cudicini are all still out while Tom Huddlestone, David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and Ledley King are doubtful. However, Harry Redknapp has plenty of choices up front and must decide which of his three in-form strikers (Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe) to start with.

Aston Villa, who have two games in hand on Spurs, travel to mid-table Stoke hoping to play as they did in the second half of their FA Cup clash with Reading last week. If they do not even the battling Potters will be able to live with them. Stoke are also missing defender Ryan Shawcross, who is still banned for breaking Aaron Ramsey's leg.

The other Saturday games see Birmingham take on Everton, Wigan travel to Bolton and Burnley entertain Wolves.

On Sunday Manchester United host Fulham knowing that a win will send them back to the top of the table. The omens are good for United, they were imperious against AC Milan and they finally have their two best centre-backs, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, playing alongside each other.

Fulham are unbeaten in five in the league and shocked United at Craven Cottage earlier in the season. They also have Clint Dempsey and Paul Konchesky back in contention. However, they were outclassed by Juventus in the Europa League and United look an even more threatening prospect than the Italians.

The final game of the weekend sees Sunderland welcoming Manchester City to the North East in a game Roberto Mancini's men must win if they are to maintain their push for fourth.

Liverpool and Portsmouth must wait until Monday night for their match-up. ·