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3 things to watch this weekend: Title rivals and downward spirals

Phil Noble / Reuters

Diego Costa's love triangle with Chelsea and China has seen him opt for the former; Dimitri Payet is apparently getting bricks hurled at his car and cast off by his teammates; Jose Fonte has walked away from his lasting marriage with Southampton and into the clutches of West Ham United.

The Premier League is a soap opera more unpredictable than Donald Trump's White House narrative.

England's top tier has a slate of fixtures this weekend that are more precarious than the twitching wig atop the president's noggin too, with teams squabbling to avoid the drop at one end, and giants jostling for position in the title race.

City up against it as Spurs visit

Reeling after a torrid 4-0 defeat at Everton, there couldn't have been a less ideal time for Manchester City to take on a club fighting for the summit of the country's game.

Especially when that club is Tottenham Hotspur.

Pep Guardiola's side welcomes Spurs to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday with a defensive midfield gutted by injuries and suspensions, a backline bereft of confidence, and a goalkeeper that couldn't catch the evening news.

Conversely, Mauricio Pochettino's XI still boasts the strongest spine in the division, even when Jan Vertonghen's sidelined for six weeks. The garb enveloping Tottenham's core is not to be sniffed at either: Kyle Walker and Danny Rose are among the division's best full-backs, and creative spark Christian Eriksen is sketching the designs in his manager's tactical notepad.

Related - Marquee matchup: Can Spurs squeeze City into submission again?

Considering City's defence could be safeguarded by Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta - a pair more suited to reminiscing about summers past on a park bench rather than keeping Dele Alli quiet - it will take a Herculean effort to see off the visitor.

Reds aim to rediscover goalscoring touch

All of a sudden Liverpool is looking a tad leggy after being hamstrung by injuries and perhaps feeling the strain of Jurgen Klopp's demanding gegenpressing philosophy.

True, Philippe Coutinho is working his way back to full fitness and Sadio Mane's absence was well known - he's representing Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations - but the backup of the Premier League's top scorer (with 49 tallies) has contrived to nab an under-par two goals in its last four outings.

Thankfully for Liverpool, Saturday's firing practice will come against Swansea City, the leakiest lot with 49 conceded.

Daniel Sturridge might even add to his two tallies this term.

So far, new Swans handler Paul Clement has only mustered a single addition to his backline in Martin Olsson, a left-back from last season's second-worst defence in Norwich City, and only Alfie Mawson deserves an ounce of credit this term.

Saints, Foxes look for inspiration

Things at Southampton and Leicester City have not gone according to plan.

Brimming with European aspirations, the Saints have slumped to four Premier League losses on the trot. In the east Midlands, meanwhile, Leicester is still struggling to find the mojo that drove its title run, winning just one of its past six league outings.

They will meet Sunday looking to change their downward trajectories.

Finishing is a real issue for Claude Puel's side, considering it has just two goals during its winless run. The absence of the injured Charlie Adam and Sofiane Boufal doesn't help Southampton's cause, and it had similar profligacy in October's 0-0 draw at the King Power Stadium.

The threat of missing out on Europe is one thing, but relegation is looming for the 15th-placed Foxes. And Algeria took away two of Claudio Ranieri's most important players, Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani, for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Midseason recruit Wilfred Ndidi is more important than ever. He is a solid addition to a squad that's lacked athleticism and energy in the middle of the park since the departure of N'Golo Kante. Ndidi will have a good chance to build on last week's promising debut.

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