LONDON'S yearning will blaze fiercely in the west end of the capital's Premiership candle tomorrow.

At Stamford Bridge Luca-led Chelsea can re-establish their credentials as the metropolis' top team and also as potential title challengers if they can bring about a rare downfall of the kings, who would be kings yet again, Manchester United.

Under Ruud Gullit's swaggering stewardship the Blues have matched, occasionally eclipsed, the Red Devils in League collisions.

New man at the Bridge, Gianluca Vialli, will be anxious to maintain that trend, especially after his Premiership debut as coach was brushed aside by the dread Leicester frame of Emile Heskey.

If Chelsea are to undermine United's bid for a third League crown they will have to cure their defensive brittleness as well as exorcising the memory of United's most recent visit to swanky west London.

On the first Sunday of the year United gouged out a massive swathe through the Chelsea rearguard en route to registering a 6-3 win against the FA Cup holders.

United's football that day was as good as it has got this season in the top flight. They were simply unstoppable, Andy Cole in particular a blur of speed galloping past the static LeBoeuf and Co.

Cole was again the major menace for United at Barnsley, though his final touch was slightly awry in the FA Cup defeat at Oakwell.

That exit may do much to re-concentrate the United approach to the Premiership and more significantly the Champions' League grail, which resumes next week against Monaco.

As appears increasingly likely Chelsea's best defensive policy will be to attack and fully exploit the cavalier attacking armoury at their disposal.

If the combined talents of Vialli, and compatriots Roberto Di Matteo and Gianfranco Zola can be harnessed to the bullish barn-storming of ex-United favourite Mark Hughes, then Blue might well be the ruling colour come 5pm.

Ironically a win for Chelsea would heighten the top capital hopes of Arsenal, who also have a double of their own on their mind. By the time they head for busy homebodies West Ham on Monday they will have three games in hand over United, who they also have to visit a fortnight tomorrow.

For once Arsene Wenger, or 'Arsene Whinger' as dubbed by Chelsea chairman Ken Bates, will be wishing the men from Stamford Bridge a modicum of 'bon chance'.

Other fading rivals in the tile race may also get a lift from the Bridge, where kick-off is at the unearthly hour of 11.15 tomorrow morning. Both Blackburn and Liverpool need all the buoyancy they can muster.

Rovers play host to Leicester, who if they continue to improve will be re-shaping their focus from avoiding relegation to seeking European qualification.

Heskey's two-goal bravado show over Chelsea will not have gone unnoticed by Rovers' boss Roy Hodgson, who has to quickly cure the defensive deficiencies exposed at Southampton.

Another blow to the Lancashire club on the back of their FA Cup shoot-out exit at home to West Ham, is the loss of will-o-the-wisp Kevin Gallacher, who starts a three-match ban for his flick of the wrist at West Ham's Eyal Berkovic in the clubs' first fractious FA Cup meeting.

With the air of a violinist on the Titanic, Liverpool manager Roy Evans is still singing a 'we can still win the title' tune. But the waters of under-achievement are beginning to swell around the Anfield vessel.

Their remote hopes will be sunk if they do not get anything at Aston Villa, where League form and morale have not only been hit by an ice-berg but torpedoed to boot in the wake of Brian Little's shock resignation as manager.

But Villa, now guided by John Gregory, will have breathed a sigh of relief after Liverpool's 1-1 derby draw with Everton. A crushing legacy of that share-all was ligament damaged suffered by Robbie Fowler, who has made Villa his private whipping-boys over recent seasons.

Lounging in the Villa corner is Fowler's former - and occasional - partner Stan Collymore, who needs to shine. What's the betting on the slice boy getting the upper hand against the so-called 'spice boys' in whose company he was said to be uncomfortable?

Much has been made, especially around Elland Road, of the sheer physicality of Newcastle leader Alan Shearer. George Graham's criticism of his tussles with Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink smacked of the kettle calling the pot, especially if anyone asked former York City ace Jon McCarthy decisively bundled by the Leeds man in Birmingham's recent FA Cup demise.

Shearer, who dishes out as much as he receives, and why not - strikers are not there just to be struck - may have a few pangs of anguish at his next port of call.

It's not solely the rugged nature of Everton's stout blue line awaiting him, but also Goodison Park, where seven months ago his season was almost wrecked when he suffered a potentially crippling ligament injury in a friendly. Now there's a test of character.

Two of the game's great survivors come into direct opposition. Managers Jim Smith and Ron Atkinson pit their respective Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday teams against each other at Pride Park. Home form would suggest a comfortable win for the Rams, but under big Ron the Owls have improved significantly and may pull off a surprise.

It will be a tale of contrast at Oakwell. Hosts Barnsley are buoyant after their beating of Manchester United, visitors Wimbledon irked by the loss to Wolves.

And urgent repair work is needed at Crystal Palace. FA Cup hopes foundered against Arsenal, despite a show of pluck, but the Eagles face the top-flight's soaring new force Coventry. Not even Terry Venables, touted as the next boss by the imminent new owners at Selhurst Park, may be enough to fend off a swift return to the Nationwide League.

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