Will the Saints or the Spurs go marching in?

Judging by Coral’s market, Manchester City (1/16), Chelsea and Arsenal (both 1/8) are already virtually home and hosed for top four spots at the end of the season.

We may all be jumping the gun. City do indeed look strong and it’s hard to see them dropping out of a Champions League position, even if they do need to improve their form on the road.

But Arsenal are having the sort of wobble that we have come to expect in recent seasons, while Chelsea, although well placed now, have been far from convincing, especially on their travels.

Liverpool are 4/5 to complete the Champions League quartet, but there are likely be a few twists and turns as we go through the season with Manchester United (5/4), Spurs and Everton (both 7/2) by no means out of the reckoning.

Spurs and Everton are both in action on Sunday at Southampton and Swansea respectively and have the chance to put some extra pressure on Arsenal and Chelsea, who don’t play until Monday.

This is a massive game for Spurs and interim boss Tim Sherwood after the recent dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas. Sherwood will be striving to make a quick impact in the hope that he will be given the job permanently, while the players will be anxious to make up for that horrendous 5-0 home drubbing by Liverpool last Sunday.

Another home defeat to West Ham, this time in the Capital One Cup, was another setback, but I’m confident there will be a positive reaction sooner rather than later – they are too talented a side to be simply fading away

Southampton, the surprise packet in the first third of the season, have hit the buffers themselves in recent weeks and have dropped to mid-table. This could be a good time to play them and I can see Spurs taking all three points (15/8).

Coral go 10/11 both teams to score, which looks a decent price now that the Saints defence is beginning to leak as well. Emmanuel Adebyaor, so out of favour with Villas-Boas, but on the scoresheet when given another chance by Sherwood on Wednesday, is 7/1 to net first or last, 2/1 at any time.

Everton (6/4) are in great form, having picked up 15 points from their last six games and they may make short work of Swansea, unimpressive in recent weeks and now without the injured Michel Vorm and Nathan Dyer. Coral’s 0-2 (12/1) and 1-3 (20/1) make appeal.