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Premier League Weekend Preview

Chelsea will look to continue their emphatic start to their Barclays Premier League title defence when they host Stoke on Saturday.

The Blues are in blistering form after scoring 12 goals in their first two league fixtures. A Didier Drogba hat-trick helped them thrash newly-promoted West Brom 6-0 on the opening day before they dished out more of the same last weekend away to Wigan.

However, despite boss Carlo Ancelotti saying his team did "nothing special" in their latest rout, Salomon Kalou, who netted Chelsea's fourth and fifth goals at the DW Stadium, believes the results will make teams fear facing the defending Premier League champions.

"Two games, 12 goals - we've started the season like we finished last year,'' the striker said.

"When you are the defending champions you have to scare the other teams, and that's what we are doing. I hope that after these two games any team we play will be afraid of Chelsea.''

Chelsea's opponents Stoke are yet to win their first league point of the season after back-to-back defeats by Wolves and Tottenham.

Second-placed Arsenal travel to Blackburn on the back of their 6-0 hammering of Premier League new-boys Blackpool last weekend.

New signing Sebastien Squillaci will not feature for the Gunners despite completing his move to the Emirates Stadium this week. The defender, who signed from Sevilla for an undisclosed fee, will bolster the north London club's defence following the recent departures of Sol Campbell, William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre.

Level on points with Arsenal in the early running are local rivals Manchester United and Manchester City.

United host West Ham on Saturday following last weekend's 2-2 draw with Fulham. After that match Sir Alex Ferguson criticised his players for throwing away "silly points" when a penalty miss and an 89th-minute equaliser by Brede Hangeland saw the teams share the spoils.

The Hammers will not welcome the arrival of the Red Devils after making a slow start to the season. They scraped past League Two side Oxford in the Carling Cup on Tuesday following losses in their two opening games in the league against Bolton and Aston Villa.

West Ham boss Avram Grant feels his side lack belief but hopes their cup victory will help his side turn the corner.

"Mentally it is not just because it is the first win but that we did it in the last moment," Grant said after the 1-0 win over Oxford. "This team carried a lot of psychology problems.

"When everything goes well we are OK, when it does not we are a bit nervous.

"The players saw that if you don't give up and keep trying to do the right things you can score in the last moment," he added.

In contrast, Manchester City took advantage of some woeful Liverpool defending to record a comfortable 3-0 win at Eastlands on Monday. Carlos Tevez scored a brace and will hope to take his goalscoring form to Sunderland on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Liverpool host West Brom and manager Roy Hodgson expects to know if midfielder Javier Mascherano will be leaving Anfield before that game.

"Sunday is very much a question because I think by then I should know one way or another whether he is going to play for Liverpool this season or Barcelona," Hodgson said.

"I am seriously hoping that in the next couple of days it will be sorted out one way or another although I have no idea which way that will be.

"I wouldn't want to say he has played his last game for Liverpool," he added.

Newly-promoted Newcastle play Wolves on the back on a 3-2 Carling Cup win over Accrington in midweek and a 6-0 shock win over managerless Villa last Sunday.

The Magpies bounced back from an opening-day defeat by Manchester United to record the impressive win over Villa, who are under the watchful eye of caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald. Villa will face Everton on Sunday.

Bolton and Birmingham also play on Sunday with both teams bidding to keep the pressure on leaders Chelsea after winning four points from their first two games.

Elsewhere, Tottenham face bottom-of-the-table Wigan, who have conceded 10 goals in their two opening fixtures.