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After securing a slot in the Champions League last 16 in mid-week,
Manchester United will look to drive home their advantage in the Premier
League when they visit Aston Villa on Saturday.
United moved to the top of the pile by beating Arsenal 2-1 last weekend
and with nearest rivals Chelsea and Manchester City both in action on
Sunday, victory at Villa Park would put Alex Ferguson's men four points
clear.
Having beaten Chelsea and Arsenal in their last two league outings,
United now embark upon a kinder run of fixtures that includes a trip to
Norwich City before home games against Queens Park Rangers and West Ham
United.
Wednesday's 3-1 win over Braga in Portugal means Ferguson can afford to
rest players in United's two remaining Champions League group games, so
the domestic title race will now be the No 1 priority until the end of
the year.
Villa are just one place above the relegation zone, and United striker
Wayne Rooney says his side should show no mercy as they bid to stretch
their lead at the summit.
"There have been games this season where we've been fantastic, and there
have been games where we've had to grind out results," he told Sky
Sports.
"We're in a good position and we know we can play better football. Now
we have a run of games where we feel we can get maximum points, so
hopefully we can do that."
Arsenal's Champions League status is less secure, Tuesday's 2-2 draw at
Schalke having left them in second place in Group A, and last weekend's
loss at Old Trafford saw them fall to seventh in the Premier League.
Arsene Wenger's side have won just two of their last six games in the
league and will be without the suspended Jack Wilshere when they host
Fulham, who are level on points with Arsenal despite a run of one win in
five matches.
Arsenal have seen Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and even West Bromwich
Albion steal a march on them in the race for Champions League
qualification, and Theo Walcott says his team must now stand up and be
counted.
"It is going to be a tough month for us now," said the England winger, who scored his side's opening goal in Gelsenkirchen.
"It is going to test us all, not just physically but mentally as well, and I think we are ready for it."
Everton go into Saturday's visit of Sunderland in fourth place, but they
are hoping to end a sequence of four straight draws, having being
denied victory at Fulham last weekend by a 90th-minute Steve Sidwell
goal.
West Brom, meanwhile, will have their work cut out away at Wigan
Athletic, who are bidding for a third consecutive victory after wins
over West Ham and Spurs.
It could be a decisive weekend for bottom side Southampton, who host
Swansea City amid speculation that coach Nigel Adkins' position is under
threat after eight defeats in his side's first 10 matches.
Second-bottom Queens Park Rangers take their bid for a first win of the
season to Stoke City, while third-bottom Reading will hope to close the
four-point gap between themselves and Villa when they host Norwich City.
Tottenham's trip to Manchester City takes centre stage on Sunday, when
the defending champions will seek to bounce back from the 2-2 draw with
Ajax on Tuesday that left them hovering above the trapdoor in the
Champions League.
Chelsea would have been in a similar position had it not been for Victor
Moses' injury-time winner against Shakhtar Donetsk, which will give the
European champions a spring in their step ahead of Sunday's visit of
Liverpool.
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