Liverpool vs Manchester United and the American adventure – seven reasons to celebrate the return of Premier League football
Have Manchester City been found out and are Tottenham and Arsenal the real deal in the title race this season?
PREMIER LEAGUE football returns after the international break with a bang - with Liverpool taking on Manchester United the stand-out game of the weekend.
The domestic game was just hotting up when it was rudely interrupted by the World Cup qualifiers, but now fans can focus on their club sides for the next month at least.
And there is plenty to be excited about at the top and the bottom of the division as teams start to find out what is in store for them this winter.
SunSport takes a look at the key talking points as we welcome back Premier League football this week.
1. Will Liverpool prove their title credentials and dent Manchester United's ambitions in the process?
The battle of the two fierce rivals is always something to get the juices flowing, but there is extra edge to the Anfield clash as Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho face-off for the first time this season.
Four straight wins in a run that has seen them score 13 goals has got Liverpool fans dreaming about a title challenge this season as the Klopp effect begins to rub off on the side.
Adam Lallana's injury is a blow, but the Reds know they can make a massive statement of intent by taking maximum points and adding more worries for Mourinho.
United have taken just four points out of 12, and can ill afford to lose more ground on their rivals if they are to have any hope of sustaining a run on the Premier League.
Paul Pogba is starting to find his best form at last and United will look to him to deliver, but can United's shaky defence tighten up enough to shackle Liverpool?
Both teams will be going all-out, and football fans could be in for a treat on Monday night.
2. Have Manchester City been found out already?
Pep Guardiola's team appear to be sitting pretty at the top of the table, but doubts have started to creep in about whether they are the complete package after all.
Celtic highlighted the weaknesses in their game as they fought out a 3-3 draw in the Champions League, and Tottenham hammered the point home last time out.
Let City play and they will punish you, but press high and play with an intensity and all of a sudden they look vulnerable.
Everton boss Ronald Koeman has already proven he is astute tactically, and you can bet he will have his side set up attempting to repeat the successes Celtic and Tottenham had.
It's far from panic stations at the Eithad Stadium, but this is the first time Guardiola and his side are having their mettle tested.
3. Tottenham and Arsenal get the chance to prove they are the real deal
Mauricio Pochettino's side are the only unbeaten team in the top flight after they outclassed and out-manoeuvred City on the way to their 2-0 win on October 2.
Having fallen short in the title race last season, all of a sudden the focus is on Tottenham to prove their young side can be taken seriously in the race for honours this time round.
It's one thing getting up for the big games, quite another to be at the same level for an away trip to West Brom and this game will show if they have the stuff champions are made of.
Arsenal have won their last five and in Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott they have attacking players at the peak of their form.
Talent isn't the biggest concern at the Emirates, it is whether they have the right mental strength to last the course when the expectation to deliver is on.
They host Swansea with fans starting to dream - and that was when the problems arrived last season.
4. The American adventure begins
Swansea's trip to Arsenal heralds a Premier League first with the debut of Bob Bradley in the dug-out for the Welsh strugglers.
Bradley is the first American to manage in the top flight, and though he has experienced at international level his club CV is hardly convincing.
The Swans have taken a massive gamble, and opinions are mixed both in this country and Stateside as to whether he has the ability to cut the mustard.
Away matches at the biggest clubs won't ultimately decide whether Bradley is a success, but he will need to make the right calls to convince a doubting Swansea fan-base - and prove himself capable to his players.
5. The battle of the bottom two
Stoke vs Sunderland is not usually a fixture that sets pulses racing, but now that sacking season has begun it is hugely important to the futures of managers Mark Hughes and David Moyes.
Both teams are without a league win all season and that simply has to change soon if either are to stay in their jobs.
Victory could provide the foundation to build a decent run and climb up the table, but defeat would increase demands from supporters for change.
With Sam Allardyce now prowling around without a job, chairmen know a tried and tested relegation firefighter is available.
The shadow of Big Sam could start to loom large over Hughes or Moyes if things don't go well this weekend.
6. Will the real West Ham please stand up
Last season's run for the Champions League may have ended in disappointment, but it did show what this Hammers side can be capable of.
We all knew it was a bit of a freak given the struggles of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, but surely West Ham are better than a relegation team.
Yet unless Slaven Bilic gets his side performing soon, he could find himself out of a job, and he can't wait much longer to get performances out of his squad.
Crystal Palace are not the ideal side to be facing, but the Hammers have performed well at Selhurst Park in recent years.
The big question is whether the players actually grasp the severity of their situation? They need to rediscover their intensity and drive quickly.
7. To Hull and back
Back to back wins from their first two games helped mask over the shocking build-up this Hull squad endured to the season, but reality has hit home since then.
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The Tigers have taken just one point from their last five matches as the threadbare nature of their squad begins to be highlighted.
Takeover talks have meant Mike Phelan has been forced to wait to discover if he will be named permanent manager, and the doubts are starting to creep in.
Bournemouth know they can deal a major blow to one of their rivals in the battle to stay in the Premier League with victory on the south coast this weekend.
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