Big Five: City v Arsenal, Spurs v Liverpool, Villa v United, FIFA Club World Cup, Barca v Villareal
MANCHESTER CITY'S clash with Arsenal headlines a bumper weekend which includes Club World Cup and La Liga action.
THE crunch December period in the Barclays Premier League goes up a gear this weekend at Etihad Stadium, in the headline act on another fantastic weekend of global football on Fox Sports.
Here's this week's BIG FIVE.
MANCHESTER CITY v ARSENAL
Saturday 11.20pm (EDT), Fox Sports 1 HD
A genuine blockbuster as league leaders Arsenal shape up against a team many perceive as the major threat to their title ambitions. Manchester City have not lost at Etihad Stadium this term, and face an Arsenal side with the best away record in the EPL at the moment (16 points).
Both sides have had Champions League to contend with this week, but although both qualified, City will be especially buoyed after knocking the European champions, Bayern Munich, over with a stunning comeback.
This is the contest for City to start to make inroad on their six-point deficit, and although just seven goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides, this time around, we've got the two most clinical teams in the EPL. City are converting 20.6 per cent of their shots on goal and Arsenal 18.9 per cent.
There's star power all through the field and it will be a tantalising tactical battle as Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and co try to out point the likes Yaya Toure, David Silva, Samir Nasri.
It's so hard to split: City have the best home attack (29 goals) and defence (2 goals), but the Gunners have the equal-best away attack (14 goals) and the best away defence (5 conceded).
Nasri scored the opener for Arsenal the last time the Gunners won against City in October 2010. The power struggle in English football has shifted in the years since, but with Arsene Wenger's side back where they think they belong, they have no better stage to assert themselves than Saturday night ahead of an epic December, which includes a clash with Chelsea too.
TOTTENHAM V LIVERPOOL
Monday 2.45am (EDT), Fox Sports 1 HD
Roberto Soldado, he scores when he wants! Well, not really ... but a hat-trick in the Europa League will do the much scrutinised striker a much needed confidence boost as Tottenham continue to re-build post the 6-0 debacle against City.
This is a clash between a team that's scored 15 times this season against a side with one player who has scored 15 times in just 10 games - Luis Suarez.
Liverpool are just five points behind Arsenal, but this is the start of a tricky month for Brendan Rodgers's side to negotiate, with Cardiff (home) and Manchester City and Chelsea away to round out the calendar year - and they'll need to do it with a major injury burden. Steven Gerrard is out for a month with a hamstring injury and Daniel Sturridge remain on the sideline.
Spurs have worries of their own, particularly at the back, with Vlad Chiriches (knee), Younes Kaboul (quad) and Jan Vertonghen (ankle) all in doubt - a concern given Liverpool, with Suarez up front, with Philippe Coutinho likely to support in behind, have fired a league high 97 shots on target this term.
For all the criticism of Spurs' ponderous form at times, Andre Villas-Boas has been keen to point out his side is one point better off now than they were last year. He would love to prove the doubters wrong on the weekend.
There's been plenty of banter in lead up; Villas-Boas praising Liverpool, while Spurs midfielder Sandro, who has provided a better balance to the side since his return from injury, had this to say about someone he'll need to stop on the weekend:
"With the ball, Coutinho's passes are like Ronaldinho's," he said.
ASTON VILLA V MANCHESTER UNITED
Monday 12.20am (EDT) Fox Spors 1 HD
Step one, beating Shakhtar Donetsk to avoid three straight defeats at Old Trafford, negotiated. Now it's time for David Moyes's side to fix their dismal EPL trot in a tough away trip to Villa Park.
Villa have been inconsistent but tend to rise for the big boys. With heavy artillery up front with plenty of pace, they have the capacity to burn United's nervous defence and cash in on a vulnerable side like Everton and Newcastle did.
However, Christian Benteke is enduring a lean trot, going 10 hours and 40 minutes without scoring, and Villa's recent record at home isn't overly intimidating, having not scored in three of their last four games.
It's such an important moment for United, though - they haven't lost three on the trot since December 2001.
"Confidence is low (at Manchester United)," former player Gary Neville said this week. "I was at the game last Saturday against Newcastle and they almost drifted through the performance."
It will be interesting to see what initiative United's much criticised midfield take against a side who will be waiting to hit them on the break. With Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney back in the line-up, it's a huge boost for the Red Devils, but the fact that Villa can reach them on the table with a win is a sign of where the club are at the moment.
GUANGZHOU EVERGRANDE V AL AHLY
Sunday 3am (EDT), Fox Sports 3 HD
The FIFA Club World Cup has kicked off in Morocco and the early stages have a huge carrot for the smaller sides - the chance to play Bayern Munich or Atlético Mineiro in the semi finals.
Sunday sees Asian's representatives from China, coached by Marcelo Lippi, against Africa's best, from Egypt, with the winner to play the UEFA Champions League winner.
Evergrande, who beat Central Coast Mariners on the way to winning the AFC Champions League - their first continental crown in 23 years - enjoy rich financial backing, which has helped them to three Chinese Super League titles in a row.
A sign of their financial clout is the money they threw at star man Dario Conca, a Brazilian who will return to Fluminense at the end of this tournament.
Al Ahly are veterans of this stage, maintaining their form to qualify despite the hurdles being faced by Egypt's domestic competition. It's their fifth tournament - with a best result in 2006, in Japan - and three of their squad members, Mohamed Aboutrika, Hossam Ashour and Wael Gomaa, hold the record for appearances in this tournament, with 11 caps.
BARCELONA V VILLAREAL
Sunday 5.55am (EDT), Fox Sports 2HD
Messi who?
It might sound like sacrilege, but it's not far off the mark considering the form of a certain Brazilian at Barcelona.
Such has been the form of Neymar, that Lionel Messi - a player four times voted the best in the world - hasn't been overly missed while he recovers from a long-term hamstring injury.
The Samba superstar netted his first Barca hat-trick against Celtic in the Champions League midweek in a performance his manager, Gerardo Martino, hailed as "amazing".
Next in Neymar and Barca's path is Villareal, who occupy fifth place in La Liga, and trail the ladder-leading Catalans by 12 points after 15 games.
Even without their diminutive Argentine, you wouldn't expect anything else other than three points for Barcelona and it wouldn't at all be surprising to see Neymar sinking the Yellow Submarine on Sunday morning.
- Huw Bonello
LIVE FOOTBALL THIS WEEKEND ON FOX SPORTS
A-LEAGUE
Friday
Kick Off, 6.30pm (EDT), FS 1HD
Victory v Perth Glory, 7.30pm (EDT), FS 1HD
Saturday
Wellington v Brisbane Roar, 3.30pm (EDT), FS 1HD
Adelaide v Central Coast, 5.30pm (EDT), FS 1HD
Newcastle Jets v Wanderers, 7.45pm (EDT), FS1HD
Sunday
Sydney FC v Melbourne Heart, 5pm (EDT), FS 1HD
Sunday Shootout, 7pm (EDT), FS 1HD
PREMIER LEAGUE
Saturday
Manchester City v Arsenal, 11.30pm (EDT), FS 1HD
Sunday
Chelsea v Crystal Palace, 1:50am (EDT), FS 1HD
Cardiff v West Brom, 1.50am (EDT), FS 1HD (Viewers Choice)
Everton v Fulham, 1.50am (EDT), FS 1HD (VC)
Newcastle v Southampton, 1.50am (EDT), FS 1HD (VC)
West Ham v Sunderland, 1.50am (EDT), FS 1HD (VC)
Hull v Stoke City, 4.20am (EDT), FS 1HD
Monday
Aston Villa v Manchester United, 12.20am (EDT), FS 1HD
Norwich v Swansea, 12.20am (EDT), FS 2HD
Tottenham v Liverpool, 2.45am (EDT), FS 1HD
LA LIGA
Sunday
Barcelona v Villareal, 5.55am (EDT), FS 2HD
Tuesday
Valladolid v Celta Vigo, 7.55am (EDT), FS 1HD
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
Thursday
Raja Casablanca v Auckland City, 6.30am (EDT), FS 1HD
Sunday
Guangzhou Evergrande v Al Ahly, 3am (EDT), FS 3HD
Casablanca/Auckland City v CF Monterrey, 6.30am (EDT), FS 3HD