3 things to watch this weekend: Heavyweight bout on Merseyside
Chelsea's six-point gap atop the Premier League table could be narrowed by Monday morning, but it will take a gargantuan effort from challengers Liverpool, Arsenal, or Manchester City in a weekend featuring a few important tilts right before Christmas.
London rivals Crystal Palace and Chelsea kick things off Saturday before the weekend wraps up with a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. Managers Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp might not be trading jabs until the end of January, but the two will certainly keep an eye on each other this weekend.
Chelsea looks to preserve perfect run
Since losing 3-0 to Arsenal back in September, Chelsea's become a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League, winning its last 10 matches in a row in Conte's preferred 3-4-3 formation.
But against Sunderland last week, Chelsea struggled to squeak out a 1-0 win.
The Blues now have Crystal Palace to deal with away from home at Selhurst Park, and Alan Pardew's side welcomed Jason Puncheon back from injury this week, too. Meanwhile, Eden Hazard faces a fitness test of his own, while Conte should provide further clarity on Chelsea's midfield look after Cesc Fabregas enjoyed a commendable return to the starting XI last weekend.
Related: Rejuvenated Fabregas coming to terms with Conte's style
If Chelsea wins, the team is three victories away from tying Arsenal's record of 14 wins in a row and will have Bournemouth, Stoke, and Tottenham up next.
Title contenders clash at the Etihad
Manchester City hosts Arsenal on Sunday in a blockbuster match between two title contenders, but the midfield battle will be won and lost by both side's second-string options.
Pep Guardiola will be without Fernandinho, serving his third and final suspension, and Ilkay Gundogan, who picked up an ACL injury against Watford last Wednesday. Meanwhile, Arsenal remains without Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla. Vincent Kompany is still out for City, while Shkodran Mustafi is sidelined, too; finally, Sergio Aguero won't feature in this tilt due to suspension.
Arsenal spent the week dealing not with injuries but with player futures, as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez remain locked in contract negotiations with the club. They have 18 months remaining on their current deals.
Related: Sanchez 'very happy' at Arsenal, puts emphasis on club to sort out future
Little separates these teams when it comes to picking a favourite; each has won three of its last five matches, but City picked up losses to Chelsea and Leicester City before rebounding against Watford, and Arsenal suffered a 2-1 loss to Everton in midweek.
Meeting on Merseyside
Who will start between the sticks for Liverpool? It's been the question of the week after Loris Karius was replaced by Simon Mignolet for the Reds' last match, which yielded a 3-0 win against Middlesbrough as a result.
Klopp seemed to indicate the Belgian shot-stopper would earn a second successive start Monday at Goodison Park.
But Ronald Koeman won't care which specific 'keeper his Everton team will need to beat to claim all three points in this latest iteration of the Merseyside derby. Having locked up veterans Gareth Barry and Leighton Baines to new contracts before the match, he's singularly focused on getting Romelu Lukaku and the rest of the Toffees prepared to play.
Everton is coming off the back of a huge win over Arsenal and will look to carry that momentum against its most bitter rival. Jurgen Klopp will have his team motivated to succeed, too - though not with the help of his favourite film series.
"When I was much younger I tried to use the story of 'Rocky IV' - Rocky Balboa against Ivan Drago - in a meeting and after five minutes I realised my players did not have a clue what I was talking about so I had to start new," Klopp said in the buildup to the match.
"Only two players knew the film."
Related - Koeman: Everton won't discuss new contract with Barkley until January