GIANLUCA Vialli, the new 'king' according to Chelsea royal-maker Ken Bates, may well have a few less trembles about the crown he is now wearing.

Vialli successfully skirted this season's Blues' nemesis, Arsenal, in their Coca-Cola Cup semi-final.

Inspired by Vialli, Chelsea gloriously swept aside Arsenal. Not a bad way to start, one match in charge and already at Wembley.

But the shaven-headed one's first stab at management in the Premiership arena sends the King's Road clan to Leicester City. And Filbert Street, where the Foxes almost invariably run rampant, is not the most receptive of baptismal battlegrounds.

In the two seasons they have been in the top flight Leicester have been more than a match for so-called superiors, their snap and no little expertise a potent combination.

If Leicester lack anything it is having a proven goalscorer. But veteran Tony Cottee is showing flashes of the form that made him such a threat at West Ham and if the muscular presence of Emile Heskey can be unleashed then Franck LeBoeuf and company could be in for a torrid time.

However, the attacking vigour of Chelsea is one of the strongest in the upper tier and they are comfortably the most goal-laden attack away from home.

The spiky resilience of Matt Elliott will be tested to the full. New boss Vialli may well be a happy-chappy if he can escape with a point.

The form team of the top flight are Arsenal, albeit before their Coca-Cola Cup demise. Five consecutive wins have re-ignited the Gunners' hopes of European qualification and they should make that six, despite the visit of best travellers Crystal Palace.

For ex-Arsenal defensive rock Andy Linighan it will be an intriguing prospect to see if he can rein in the Dutch duo of Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars.

Palace are in the relegation zone, as are Bolton and Barnsley, who joined them in the elite just last May.

The odds on them all surviving are shortening, though the team spirit displayed recently by Barnsley would suggest that the Tykes are best equipped for a nail-biting salvage mission.

Against Manchester United in the FA Cup Barnsley were resistance personified, a quality that will be needed if they are to successfully counter another high-flying side, Coventry City.

It's not often the Sky Blues can be equated with runaway form, but Gordon Strachan's recruits are on a five-match winning streak and that without the likes of Gary McAllister and Noel Whelan.

Barnsley's biggest headache could be the glut of goals conceded in the early flirtation with life at the top. They currently suffer a goal difference of minus 39, which is 20 goals worse off than their nearest rivals.

Bolton's task is not quite as daunting as Barnsley's as they welcome away-day marshmallows West Ham to the Reebok Stadium.

The Hammers, who have lost only one game in 11 at Upton Park, have lost a staggering ten out of 14 on their travels. While goals can be relied on from John Hartson and the coltish Frank Lampard junior, defensively they are brittle Hammers away from London.

Goals have been in short supply all season for Tottenham Hotspur. But hosts Sheffield Wednesday, like Liverpool, do not inspire rearguard confidence and the in-form David Ginola, a revelation in the relegation battle, can prosper at Hillsborough tomorrow.

That's not to say that Italians Carbone and Di Canio will struggle in their exotic endeavours. Against a Spurs' defence that largely consists of Sol Campbell and other assorted flailing feet an Azzurri success is virtually assured.

After recent travails Blackburn Rovers head for Southampton conscious of the need to restore confidence to their tilt at the top.

They tottered against Tottenham, but showed ample character in eking out a draw in the FA Cup against West Ham.

Eager to post a good performance for that cup return next week Rovers will look to Chris Sutton for intelligent leadership in attack, even if his assessment of his England status borders on the reckless.

The Saints have gone from consistent relegation material to inconsistent mid-table waverers.

The absence of Kevin Davies through injury has been a blow to their attacking armoury, but David Hirst will relish the physical confrontation against Rovers' Colin Hendry. A day of clamour at the Dell.

Murmuring discontent is increasing at Aston Villa, whose midweek defeat at home to Manchester United left them too close for comfort to the relegation zone. A trip to Wimbledon is hardly the easiest place at which to stage a revival.

Villa's fall enabled United to rise to eight points clear after ending their form-slump.

Tomorrow they entertain Derby and it is a measure of the progress made by the Rams that manager Jim Smith rested top scorer Baiano in the win at Everton last week.

But they will need Costa Rican Paolo Wanchope to do what he did last season if they are to maintain their UEFA cup qualification hopes.

Back then the big, leggy man scored on his first ever outing at Old Trafford. The rest of the Premiership can only wait in Wanchope.

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