Man Utd hope for Van Nistelrooy magic, Arsenal face Newcastle test

LONDON: Manchester United face Chelsea on Sunday with interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy at the helm while faltering Arsenal face a potentially tricky trip to Newcastle.

Top-four hopefuls Tottenham and Aston Villa go head to head as the three teams in the relegation zone -- Ipswich, Wolves and Southampton -- each look for their first win of the season.

AFP Sport picks out some of the key talking points ahead of the weekend action. Man Utd crave Van Nistelrooy lift

The current Manchester United side are a pale shadow of the team Ruud van Nistelrooy played for under the leadership of Alex Ferguson.

The former striker, in temporary charge after Erik ten Hag´s sacking earlier this week, will be in the dugout against Chelsea, looking to build on the club´s 5-2 League Cup win against Leicester in midweek.

United, 14th in the Premier League and with Sporting Lisbon´s Ruben Amorim widely expected to soon take over as coach, could potentially fall to 16th if results go against them this weekend.

Chelsea are riding high in Enzo Maresca´s first season in charge, just one point off the top four, and will be well rested after the Italian changed his whole team for their midweek League Cup defeat against Newcastle.

But Van Nistelrooy, who spent five years at United as a player from 2001 to 2006, will be hoping he can inspire his charges during his brief spell in the Old Trafford spotlight.

Arsenal risk slipping off the pace

Injury-hit Arsenal suffered the frustration of conceding a late equaliser against Liverpool last week, following their shock defeat at Bournemouth. If they lose at St James´ Park on Saturday, they could find themselves a daunting eight points behind champions City by the end of the day.

Mikel Arteta´s men have pushed City all the way in the past two seasons and know they cannot afford to fall off the pace, with Liverpool also riding high.

The Gunners´ 3-0 League Cup win against Preston in midweek gave them a lift ahead of tough games against Newcastle, Inter Milan and Chelsea, with Gabriel Jesus scoring his first goal since January.