Manchester United and Fulham are in particular need of victories this weekend but it is Liverpool that could really make hay, writes Adam Bate.
Unbeaten Everton...
Manchester City may have been outclassed by Bayern Munich on Wednesday night but Manuel Pellegrini's men remain the favourites to be Premier League champions come the end of the season.
However, it is Saturday's visitors Everton who boast the only unbeaten record in the top flight and go into this game on the back of three straight wins.
Gareth Barry is ineligible for the Toffees against his parent club but, with Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku full of confidence, City will need an immediate return to form if they are to close the gap on Roberto Martinez's side. And that means no more howlers from England's No.1 Joe Hart...
Tough fixture?
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If you're going to spend an unhealthy portion of your summer floating absurd notions of a fixture conspiracy then the golden rule is surely not to get spanked as soon as the so-called easier games come around.
Unfortunately that's exactly what David Moyes and his Manchester United team managed to pull off last weekend at home to West Brom.
A trip to winless Sunderland beckons this Saturday and anything other than victory will see United fall further off the pace. The Black Cats, meanwhile, need some luck of their own if they are to avoid getting cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Now or never for Jol
Fulham's opening day victory at the Stadium of Light hinted that good things could be on the horizon for the Cottagers but, as details emerge of the disarray at Sunderland under Paolo Di Canio, Martin Jol's men are looking increasingly fortunate to have picked up those three points when they did.
Just one additional point has been accrued from the subsequent 15 available with the Dutchman's ageing team failing to impress. Although the temperament of new owner Shahid Khan has yet to ascertained, defeat at home to Stoke would be ill-advised if Jol wishes to avoid the same fate as the Michael Jackson statue.
Sunday best
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Chelsea and Arsenal enjoyed convincing Champions League victories in midweek, and the clubs from the capital are back on their Premier League travels in a Super Sunday double header this weekend.
It's been efficiency over excitement from Jose Mourinho thus far with seven goals in six games failing to light up the league, but the Blues coach would doubtless settle for a one-goal win at Norwich.
It's the Mesut Ozil-inspired Gunners providing rather more flair - a win at West Brom would make it 11 wins on the bounce in all competitions if you include the shootout success against the same opponents in the Capital One Cup... Which we're happy to do for the purposes of this preview.
New boys on the charge
You'd think by now that people would learn that all three newly-promoted clubs rarely head back from whence they came without a fuss.
This season it's Hull and Cardiff threatening to provide the feel-good factor. Home games against Premier League perennials Aston Villa and Newcastle look eminently winnable and would take the Tigers and the Bluebirds to 13 points and 11 points respectively from their seven games.
Those are tallies some fans would have settled for by the time the advent calendars were being opened. Can they keep it up on Saturday?
Top dog
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These are the good times for Daniel Sturridge. The current Premier League top scorer is in excellent form having scored five goals in six games, and just as top-flight defenders look to give him additional attention he has Luis Suarez alongside him to distract them.
What's more, that fixture computer that so irks Mr Moyes has thrown up Crystal Palace at home this weekend. The Eagles have conceded two goals in each of their away games so far and lost the lot.
Sturridge and Suarez will surely fancy a repeat of the win at Sunderland last time out when they both got on the scoresheet, showing encouraging signs of a burgeoning partnership.
Injury drop-outs?
England supporters will be rather less concerned as to whether Sturridge can come up with any Anfield heroics. They'll just be hoping he comes through the game unscathed.
The lack of immediacy of next summer's World Cup means apathy usually reigns during the international break but this October things take on a more serious tone. Wembley wins over Montenegro and Poland will book England's place in Brazil but a serious slip-up could end their hopes altogether.
All eyes will be on the hamstrings, groins and metatarsals of England's finest.
Waiting for a win
Bolton were some people's tips for promotion in the summer but it's been a miserable start to the season for Dougie Freedman and his team.
The Trotters picked up 34 points from their last 17 matches last season - title-winning form - but after 10 games of this Championship campaign they are still waiting for their first win.
The Scot desperately needs that to change sooner rather than later and a trip to Birmingham on Saturday lunchtime represents a good opportunity to kick-start the weekend... and, belatedly, their season.
La Liga action
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No Messi, no party? Barcelona's pass-masters were still too good for Celtic in midweek and boast a perfect record after seven Primera Liga games but there remains a suspicion that they lack a little something without the Argentine genius. How could they not?
Even so, Barca should have too much for Valladolid on Sunday and it's their arch-rivals Real Madrid who are really under pressure. While Ozil stars for Arsenal, his replacement Gareth Bale is enduring an injury-hit start to his Bernabeu career, and Real are already four points adrift of Atletico let alone Barca. A win at Levante is a must.
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