Manchester United will be looking to take advantage of their games in hand when they welcome the visit of Stoke City on Tuesday.
Sir Alex Ferguson's charges have currently played only 19 matches in contrast to their title rivals Manchester City (21), Arsenal (20), Tottenham (20) and Chelsea (20) but yet they are sitting comfortably at the top of the table with 41 points.
Ahead of the Potters' visit, United skipper Nemanja Vidic has admitted he is relishing the physical encounter with Tony Pulis' charges.
Vidic explained: "In English football you have to deal with big, tall strikers and you have to deal with the small, sharp and quick ones.
"That is why it is the most competitive league in the world. But I just love to defend.
"Right from when I was young I always liked to defend, to work to stop the other team scoring a goal no matter how they played or who they played for.
"I have played against the big ones and ones with the technique. In all the years I've been here I learned how to stop them all."
"Old Trafford is our fortress.
'It's totally different when we play Stoke at home to when we play them away. Our pitch is very big and we won't have that many long balls to deal with like we would at Stoke.'
Red Devils' manager Sir Alex Ferguson also insisted that stereotyping Stoke as nothing more than a team who plays ugly football to win is a tad unfair.
Ferguson commented: "People have criticised their physical style of play but they stick to what they do best.
"I have a great admiration for Tony and the way he rides the criticism leveled at his team. If anything the criticism galvanizes the players and gives them extra motivation."
Meanwhile, promoted outfit Blackpool will be looking to bounce back from their City defeat at the weekend as they entertain a struggling Birmingham.
The visitors are languishing in 19th spot after a disastrous run of form but Lee Bowyer is included in the squad although Blues are waiting to see if he will face a Football Association charge for his alleged stamp on Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna.
West Londoners Fulham could be boosted by the return of forward Moussa Dembele as they pit their wits against West Bromwich Albion at Craven Cottage with Mark Hughes' side looking to move away from the relegation zone.
In Wednesday's action, the Citizens will travel to the Emirates as they look to secure a win against Arsenal and further consolidate their grasp on second spot.
City will be looking to avenge their embarrassing 3-0 defeat at Eastlands earlier in the season and will also be hoping that Wolfsburg forward Edin Dzeko joins the club by then.
Midlands outfit Aston Villa will face off with high-flying Sunderland at Villa Park having secured a morale-boosting 3-3 thrilling draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend.
Merseyside giants Liverpool will be looking to continue their mini-revival as they look to secure all three points against a shambolic Blackburn Rovers side.
A last-gasp 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers handed under-fire boss Roy Hodgson some respite and he will be aiming for nothing less than a win against Steve Kean's Blackburn.
Owen Coyle's Bolton, currently sitting pretty in seventh place, will look to continue their push for Europe when they welcome the visit of Wigan Athletic at the Reebok stadium while David Moyes' Everton will be hoping to bounce back from their weekend Stoke City loss against Tottenham Hotspur.
Alan Pardew will face an emotional visit from former club West Ham United when Newcastle United play host to the Hammers at St James' Park.
Pardew, who led the Hammers to the FA Cup final during the 2005/2006 campaign, can expect a tough assignment from Avram Grant's troops, who secured back-to-back wins in the league to climb out of the relegation zone.
Finally, basement side Wolves will face off with another an out-of-form Chelsea at the Molineux. Carlo Ancelotti's men dropped 2 precious points as they conceded an injury time equalizer against Villa and are now six points behind United, who have a game in hand over the Blues.
Tuesday's Fixtures
Wednesday's Fixtures
Arsenal vs Manchester City
Aston Villa vs Sunderland
Blackburn vs Liverpool
Bolton vs Wigan
Everton vs Tottenham
Newcastle vs West Ham
Wolves vs Chelsea
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