Too close to call in highly-anticipated Merseyside derby

Everton vs Liverpool (kickoff 8.45pm, tonight)

I am excited. As a neutral, when was the last time you could say the same about the Merseyside derby? Quite possibly when Steve McMahon was biting legs, sometimes for the red half of Merseyside, sometimes for the blue.

This looks like the dawn of a new era on both sides of the Mersey; the appointment of Roberto Martinez seems to have given Everton the freedom to breathe and express themselves as compared with the straightjacket style of football that was advocated previously.

At Anfield, Brendan Rogers has not done too badly himself, advocating his team play the Liverpool way as they did when they dominated Europe decades ago.

On the other hand, in the space of 11 games, Martinez has got Everton humming along much like when they were denied Europe in 1985. So, who will be king of the Mersey?

Arsenal vs Southampton (11pm, tonight)

Perhaps the best football will be played at The Emirates this weekend when Southampton come to the capital.

After the schoolyard bullying at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford, Arsene Wenger would expect a rousing performance from a team he feels are legitimate title contenders.

However, the visitors are no pushovers themselves. There is every indication that Southampton under the guidance of Mauricio Pocchettino are here to stay. This Southampton team has more active England internationals than Arsenal, but wait – is that necessarily a good thing right now?

Expect free-flowing football that could very well be a high-scoring thriller.

West Ham United vs Chelsea (kickoff 1.30am tonight, Sunday morning)

It has been two weeks since Chelsea and their twelfth man escaped with a draw at home to West Browmwich Albion. How much Jose Mourinho has learnt and digested in the last fortnight will have a major bearing at Upton Park.

The special way that West Ham play their football would normally be expected to rattle Chelsea, but somehow I do not see Sam Allardyce's side being too effective at home to the Blues. I predict a reaction from Mourinho's men on the way to a comfortable away win.

Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur (9.30pm, Sunday)

While one team was terribly unlucky to come away with anything less than a win in the last round of Premiership action, the other certainly deserved to lose. No prizes for guessing which side is which.

Andres Villas-Boas and Manuel Pellegrini both lost their last match 1-0, but it is AVB who can take positives from the home defeat to Newcastle United.

Pellegrini, however, would have spent the last fortnight deliberating on how toothless his side looked against the Black Cats of Sunderland.

Manchester City are under pressure to win, and with Sergio Aguero in good form at home, this will be a big test for Tottenham Hotspur to produce a result.

It is fair to say that Pellegrini and AVB are the two most under pressure managers this weekend.

Spurs have not done too badly on their travels in terms of collecting points, while Manchester CIty have been prolific at home. Expect a bore draw.

Cardiff City vs Manchester United (midnight, Sunday)

It seems with every passing game, Cardiff City owner Tan Sri Vincent Tan is on trial. We are fully aware of Cardiff's City strengths, which come end of the season may not guarantee Premiership survival. But, the owner has every right to make decisions he deems necessary for the future of the club.

We shall not dig into the dark side of football, but the visit of a resurrected Manchester United could bring out the best in Cardiff City.

Having already humbled the blue shade of Manchester, there is equal opportunity to make the Red Devils suffer in Wales. Expect the unexpected, for the winner would have had to graft and truly earn the 3 points in this fixture. – November 23, 2013.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.