Champions Chelsea will be determined to show Blackburn Rovers and the rest of the Premier League they are still the best team in England when they welcome old boy Mark Hughes to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea's perfect start to the league season ended after 10 matches last Sunday when they drew 1-1 at Everton, and there was more disappointment on Wednesday when Jose Mourinho's side relinquished their hold on the League Cup after defeat on penalties against Charlton.
However, they still have 28 points from a possible 30 and remain nine points clear of Charlton, Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan Athletic.
Skipper John Terry has warned the rest of the division it is business as usual at the Bridge.
"We can take anyone on in a physical battle and we will win," he said, "and then we'll get the ball down and play football and we will win that as well.
"If anyone thinks they can come here to battle and bully us and get anywhere, the message is clear. We are up for it."
Which is just as well because Blackburn, under old Chelsea striker Hughes, are likely to do just that.
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Last February Dutch winger Arjen Robben left Ewood Park with two broken bones in his foot after a fierce tackle from Aaron Mokoena which led to a feisty exchange between Mourinho and Hughes.
While Chelsea will be looking for points in west London, two other matches in the capital will also have a bearing on the top of the table.
Tottenham, who are third, face eighth-placed arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby at White Hart Lane while in the south-east second-placed Charlton take on seventh-placed Bolton Wanderers at The Valley.
MANY YEARS
Spurs coach Martin Jol has brought some self-belief back to the club, which has languished in Arsenal's shadow for more than a decade.
There is also optimism that the club can finish high enough to qualify for a place in Europe through their league position for the first time since the Premier League was founded in 1992.
Tottenham have a woeful record in London derbies having won 10 of the last 49 against other sides from the capital while Arsenal have lost just three of the last 49.
Spurs have also failed to beat Arsenal in 12 matches since 1999 so they have a psychological as well as physical battle to win on Saturday.
A one-match suspension means midfielder Edgar Davids will be absent, while Thierry Henry is a doubt for the visitors.
VALLEY GLEE
Charlton will be given a gleeful welcome by their own fans after their penalty shoot-out victory over Chelsea and will be looking to consolidate their second-place position with a win over Bolton.
Charlton, though, have struggled at home this season with just one win in four matches, contrasting with their five from five away wins.
The one home victory came against Wigan, the surprise team of the early part of the season, who will rise to second place if they get a better result at home against Fulham than either Charlton or Spurs.
Elsewhere, European champions Liverpool, beaten by Fulham in the league last week and knocked out of the League Cup by Second Division Crystal Palace on Tuesday, try to avoid a hat-trick of defeats to London sides when they face West Ham at Anfield.
Manchester United, in fifth, will be looking to stay in touch with Chelsea at the top by winning at Middlesbrough while Sunderland and Portsmouth meet in an early season relegation clash at the Stadium of Light.
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