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.

News_Image_File: Manchester City's Samir Nasri is rediscovering his form from his Arsenal days.

News_Rich_Media: There will be seven games on Saturday with the highlight coming at the Ethiad as Manchester City host league leaders Arsenal.

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.

News_Image_File: Happier days for Roberto Soldaldo.

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.

News_Rich_Media: Aston Villa take on an out of form Manchester United, while Norwich hosts Swansea and Liverpool travel to White Hart Lane to take on Tottenham.

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.

News_Rich_Media: Tottenham have wrapped up their Europa League Group Stage campaign in style - beating Anzhi to record six wins from as many starts.

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.

News_Image_File: Wayne Rooney returns from suspension in the EPL.

News_Rich_Media: One of the worst misses of the season was quickly followed by one of the worst keeping blunders of the year in this Romanian League clash between CFR Cluj and Sageata Navodari.

"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.

News_Image_File: Guangzhou Evergrande FC head coach Marcello Lippi.

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.

News_Rich_Media: Raja Casablanca have knocked Auckland City out of the FIFA Club Wprlc Cup in the opening round with the Moroccan club scoring a late winner.

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

News_Image_File: There's a special relationship between Neymar and a football.

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