And what a game to start the weekend as third-placed Arsenal taking on sixth-placed Chelsea at the Emirates, kick-off 1245, at the end of a week of contrasting fortunes.

The Gunners have done fantastically well to get into this position given the start that they made to the season but failed to strengthen their grip on third after a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Wigan on Monday night.

Chelsea meanwhile have done quite the opposite, surprising everyone (maybe including themselves) with a 1-0 home win over European champions Barcelona, despite mustering just one shot on target.

That game as well as the second leg of the Champions League semi-final next Tuesday is sure to have a bearing on the London derby this weekend, with plenty of changes expected.

Didier Drogba is definitely ruled out which limits Chelsea’s goalscoring options – Fernando Torres has still to hit anything but the lows at Stamford Bridge – although there is still plenty of quality in the Blues ranks.

Arsenal, who will be without Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun this weekend, have been made Evens favourites in the match betting, but Chelsea’s defensive display in midweek has got to give the side confidence and they can get something from the game (11/4 to win, draw 5/2).

Newcastle can no longer be considered a surprise package, despite still being in the hunt for a Champions League place, and have hit form at just the right time.

The Magpies have won their last five games and are just five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand and will go above Spurs with any kind of positive result on Saturday.

Alan Pardew’s men are 4/6 favourites to take the win, with Stoke priced at 9/2 and the draw at 11/4 – and it is difficult to argue with the prices, given the Potters have not won in seven away games in the Premier League and are the lowest scorers in the division.

Bolton have two games in hand on their relegation rivals but need to rediscover the winning habit after suffering back-to-back defeats without scoring.

However, Swansea’s win over Blackburn all but assured Brendan Rodgers’ side’s survival in the top flight and Bolton’s greater need can see them scrap out a much-need victory (Bolton 23/20, draw 12/5, Swansea 5/2 – Match Betting).

Blackburn Rovers are also in big trouble but they do not have games in hand, while they have hit the wall at precisely the wrong time, suffering five successive defeats.

The match betting has Steve Kean’s men favourites at 11/10 but Norwich have impressed most with their style of football and will be determined to bounce back from a mauling by Manchester City, with the away win and draw both on offer at 5/2.

Wigan have been in fantastic form of late and have to be considered a value bet at 10/3 to record another away win, despite facing a tricky trip to Fulham (5/6 to win, 13/5 the draw).

The Latics have pulled five points clear of the drop zone and they have done it the hard way, winning 2-1 at Liverpool and Arsenal, as well as beating Manchester United 1-0 at home along with a 2-0 success over Stoke.

It really should have been more for Wigan as well as Chelsea only just triumphed 2-1 courtesy of two offside goals so they will be full of confidence heading to Craven Cottage.

Aston Villa are not out of the woods yet and still need a win or two to secure survival but they are in a dire run of form – not helped by a long list of key absentees.

The Villans have only managed four home wins all season but take on a Sunderland side that has gone off the boil with a five-game winless run and can take at least a point from the tie (Villa 13/10, draw 12/5, Sunderland 21/10 – Match Betting), while a goal-less draw is tempting at 15/2.

The last thing Spurs needed right now was another London derby, particularly against a side in a relegation scrap that has started to make its home a fortress.

QPR are just two points clear of the drop zone but know that Bolton below them have two games in hand and are desperate to get more points on the board.

Rangers have beaten Liverpool, Arsenal and Swansea in their last three matches at Loftus Road and are surely worth considering at 3/1 to add the scalp of a Spurs team whose season is starting to unravel.

Harry Redknapp’s men are desperate for points themselves to maintain their pursuit of a top-four place but go into the game on the back of a 5-1 hiding by Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Spurs on paper have the better side but they appear to have run out of steam with the finishing line in sight and are worth opposing at 10/11, while the draw is priced at 13/5.

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Schalke

Former Ajax and Real Madrid hitman Huntelaar scored seven goals in Serie A last season, but admitted he had to leave AC Milan after they brought Zlatan Ibrahimovic in on a season-long loan.

Huntelaar said: “It is true I never wanted to leave Milan but that changed when Zlatan Ibrahimovic came from Barcelona.”

Schalke boss Felix Magath told Bild: “Negotiations were tougher than expected. I am happy to have Klaas-Jan. He will help us.”

The Gelsenkirchen outfit were pipped to the Bundesliga trophy last term by Bayern Munich and are desperate to end a 52-year wait for the title, having finished runners-up previously in 2001, 2005 and 2007. But Magath’s side have made a poor start to the season and sit in 15th place after two matches of the season.

After defensive blunders cost the Royal Blues dearly in the 2-1 home defeat to Hannover on Saturday, Magath has been forced into the transfer market for a third time before the deadline.

Despite previously stating that he didn’t need any defenders, he is splashing out on Lille centre back Nicolas Plestan. Schalke had already invested heavily in signing Christophe Metzelder and Raul from Real Madrid.

Bayern (1/2) have been relatively quiet in the transfer market, concentrating on keeping together the squad that reached the Champions League final and claimed the domestic double.

Hamburg (9/1) have started the season well, despite losing defender Jerome Boateng to Manchester City, while Werder Bremen (11/1) could not hold onto playmaker Mesut Ozil.

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