Liverpool secured a dominant win over West Ham, while other Premier League matches saw Brentford edge Burnley in a seven-goal thriller and Everton secure a late victory against Newcastle.
Real Madrid will play local rivals Atletico Madrid while Bayern Munich were drawn against Bundesliga title challengers Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.
Jose Mourinho's wretched week ended on a high note as Manchester United's big guns Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba finally began firing, both finding the target in a 3-1 win at dismal Swansea City on Sunday. Mourinho watched from the stands at the Liberty Stadium following his touchline ban imposed by the Football Association on Wednesday and was buoyed to see Ibrahimovic score twice -- his first league goals in eight weeks -- and Pogba net a superb volley. United, vastly improved after their midweek Europa League defeat at Fenerbahce, went ahead with a 15th minute strike from Pogba worthy of his 89 million pounds price tag before Ibrahimovic ended his goal drought with a sharp first-half double in the space of 12 minutes.
Wenger dropped Rob Holding for the visit to Stoke, preferring Shkodran Mustafi alongside Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac at the back.
Arsenal visit Liverpool looking for a first league win at Anfield since 2003. Defeat for Arsene Wenger's side will move seventh-placed Liverpool within a point of them, having played a game more.
Luis Garcia scored twice in a 3-1 victory in the second leg of the Champions League pre-quarter-finals.
The four-times European champions went through 3-2 on aggregate after losing 0-1 in the second leg Champions League quarter-final.
Liverpool went top of the Premier League on Monday after a goalless home draw with West Ham United.
Images from the English Premier League matches played at Old Trafford on Saturday
Arsenal took the race to the final day last season and are strongly tipped to end Manchester City's dominance this time.
Pressure is something that Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says comes with the territory, but after a dismal run, the odds on him becoming the season's first managerial casualty are swiftly shortening.
Liverpool, beaten by Arsenal on Sunday, lead the table on 51 points from 23 games but City are up to 49 from 22 and Arsenal on 49 from 23.
It will be a poignant evening, with both games -- City vs Arsenal and Aston Villa vs Sheffield United -- played inside empty stadiums and marked before kickoff by a minute's silence for the more than 40,000 people to die of the virus in the UK.
The Dutch side scored a 2-0 victory over Monaco in the second leg pre-quarter-final of the Champions League.
Marcelo Zalayeta scored four minutes from the end of extra-time gave the Italians a 2-0 win and a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Liverpool face Spurs in the game of the weekend, a day after title rivals Manchester City travel to struggling Fulham.
English Premier League leaders Liverpool will need to maintain their excellent recent record against Everton in Sunday's Merseyside derby if they are to hold their advantage over second-placed Manchester City.
Preview and timings of the Premier League matches this weekend
Liverpool and Manchester United's globe-trotting squads must shake off the effects of international duty for one of English football's most eagerly-anticipated clashes on Saturday.
The much-anticipated clash between Liverpool and ManchesterCity at Anfield on Saturday looks like a knockout to determine who can challenge Chelsea for the Premier League title.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal will delve into the depths of his squad for the visit to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday, as an injury crisis engulfs Old Trafford.
Four months after quitting Liverpool for Manchester City, Raheem Sterling will have the first opportunity to justify the move by getting one over his former employers when the teams meet at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Rewind five years and Liverpool hosted Chelsea with three games remaining, knowing victory would have left them six points clear and a first league title since 1990 almost secure.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was back to his irrepressible, boastful best on Sunday as he joked about the landmark 25,000th Premier League goal that signalled a change in his fortunes.
The English Premier League season will restart on June 17 provided all safety requirements have been put in place, the league said on Thursday after meeting with all 20 clubs. The season will get back under way on that Wednesday with Aston Villa vs Sheffield United and Manchester City vs Arsenal, which are both games in hand.
Arsenal and Manchester City meet at The Emirates on Saturday when both teams will seek to roar into life after making spluttering starts to their Premier League campaigns.
Champions Manchester City will expect to get back to winning ways at home to Newcastle United in a match which pits Pep Guardiola against his fellow Spaniard Rafa Benitez.
Saturday's clash between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford is already shaping up as an early-season eliminator to challenge runaway leaders Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Champions Leicester City will begin their Premier League title defence with a trip to newly promoted Hull City on August 13, according to the 2016-17 fixtures released on Wednesday.
The legendary Clive Lloyd wants to see more Test cricket on the international calendar and prefers a minimum of three red-ball games in a bilateral series.
Champions Chelsea begin title defence at home to Swansea City, while runners-up Manchester City kick-off at West Bromwich Albion
Liverpool target Chelsea after midweek tinkering, while third-placed Manchester City, whose hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage were dealt a severe blow in a humiliating 2-1 home defeat by CSKA Moscow on Wednesday, travel south to face struggling Queens Park Rangers.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Following is a match by match look at the English Premier League's weekend fixtures
Manchester City host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday on the back of a record 15 successive English Premier League wins, and on the basis of their visitors' recent away form, a 16th victory appears to be the likely outcome.
Champions Chelsea have not enjoyed the best of starts at home this season and face their biggest test yet on Saturday with the visit of free-scoring leaders Manchester City.
Managerless Tottenham Hotspur face a long trip to Ukraine for a meeting with former boss Juande Ramos after being drawn against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the last 32 of the Europa League.
Chelsea have a gilt-edged opportunity to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League this weekend and there is nothing their main title rivals can do about it. With second-placed Liverpool having a week off and Arsenal and Manchester City in FA Cup action, all the chasers can do is hope Tottenham Hotspur can end one of the longest jinx's in English football and upset the odds at Stamford Bridge.
Rediff.com brings a preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Chelsea face the prospect of having veteran Didier Drogba as their only fit striker for their visit to Manchester United on Sunday in what is usually one of the standout matches of the Premier League season.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances