Can Rafa Benitez put one over on Alex Ferguson?

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez can expect scant sympathy from his Manchester United counterpart Alex Ferguson when their two sides clash on Sunday afternoon in the tie of the weekend. The tie is a must-win for the Spaniard, who would find it hard to keep the Anfield faithful on side should his patched-up team - which should have Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson back but probably no Steven Gerrard - succumb to a heavy defeat to their greatest rivals. The long-awaited debut of £20m summer signing Alberto Aquilani could give the home team a boost.

For Ferguson, the opportunity to oust a manager who he called "beyond the pale" last season and whose team humiliated Manchester United 4-1  at Old Trafford just last March, almost imperiling their chase for the Premier League, will add some spice to the fixture. Despite topping the table and maintaining a 100 per cent record in Europe, Man Utd have failed to ignite yet this season, so Fergie will be demanding 110 per cent from his players. The return of Michael Owen to Anfield will provide another fascinating side story to the main fare.

Chelsea host Blackburn in the late kick-off on Saturday, and with Carlo Ancelotti's side seeming to throw off their recent malaise with a 4-0 stuffing of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night, the odds seemed stacked against Sam Allardyce's Blackburn. Frank Lampard started scoring in midweek, moving into fifth place in the all-time Chelsea scoring charts, and will have fourth spot firmly in his target. Rovers had a good derby win against Burnley last week, but the Londoners could put quite a few past them if they gel on the evening.

Arsene Wenger's ire at throwing away a 1-0 lead in extra time at AZ Alkmaar on Tuesday in the Champions League will have been communicated to his players, who spent the night playing beautiful football but never making their domination pay. With Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas giving the Gunners' defence a look of real solidity, and with Cesc Fabregas, Andrei Arshavin and Robin Van Persie all lining up to score up front they could bury West Ham under an avalanche of goals. Upton Park has been a sombre place for Gianfranco Zola this season, and the result there is unlikely to cheer up the Italian on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Fulham will hope to shrug off the disappointment of losing a one-goal lead in the dying seconds of injury time to Roma last night in the Europa League against Manchester City, while Everton will want to consign their five-goal drubbing by Benfica to the history books when they travel to Bolton. ·