The Chelsea Mashup: Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend | Stuart James, David Hytner and Daniel Harris

Christian Benteke v Christopher Samba, will Fernando Torres get the chance to score again, and Eamonn Dolan's big day out

1) Battle of the giants at Villa Park

Central defenders up and down the country have struggled to handle Christian Benteke this season, so it will be intriguing to see how Christopher Samba, who at 6ft 4in has a slight height advantage over the powerful Belgian, deals with the Aston Villa striker. Benteke caused Reading no shortage of problems in the 2-1 victory at the Madejski Stadium last Saturday, when he scored from close range and also hit the crossbar with a thumping header, but this looks like being the sort of battle that Samba will relish. At the other end of the pitch a resurgent QPR side – well, make that a team that has won their last two matches – will fancy their chances of scoring against a Villa defence that has failed to keep a clean sheet in 18 games. Whatever the result, expect Paul Lambert to say: "We'll be fine," and Harry Redknapp to take his players off to Dubai during the international break. Stuart James

2) Torres intends to bloody West Ham

It has become a frustrating sport to spot the potential touchstones for Fernando Torres's Chelsea career and even when one presented itself against Steaua Bucharest on Thursday, in the form of a lovely finish for the decisive goal on 71 minutes, it was swiftly followed by a missed penalty. Still, as Rafael Benítez noted, it was encouraging to see Torres accept the responsibility from the spot and, as the striker also nursed a bloody nose, there was a spark and drive about the way he finished the tie. Will he play against West Ham, with Demba Ba available? If he does, Benítez will hope to see him pick up where he left off against Steaua. David Hytner

3) Relax

Woe! There are no English clubs in the last eight of the Champions League. Wah! What does it all mean? Answer: nothing. Manchester United and Arsenal were handed tricky draws, and even then, had things gone but slightly differently, both would be in the quarter-finals and the narrative would be different – yet they'd be identical teams to those that they are. Before the season started, it would have been fair to speculate that all four English qualifiers were superior to Galatasaray, PSG and Málaga, and lunacy not to recognise that all were inferior to Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – and no vagary of cup football was likely to alter that, in the same way that Chelsea winning the competition last season taught nothing beyond the bare facts of what happened. So, this weekend's games should be enjoyed in that context; the Premier League's best sides, though less good than the current elite, are still good and also getting better, failing because of specific individual shortcomings not some league-wide malaise. Daniel Harris

4) Was Arsenal's performance in Munich a one-off?

Arsenal's game with Bayern Munich was a peculiar affair, an anodyne exercise in extreme tedium during which very little happened – despite what Olivier Giroud felt, it was not "almost the perfect game", nor did his team "deserve much better". Bayern were confident enough to play within themselves, Arsenal's win of equivalent value to Man United's against Real Madrid in 2003, the Vincent to its Julius. This isn't to say that Arsenal deserve no praise for their performance – they were, unusually, well-organised, composed and stout in defence, suggesting that perhaps, and at last, they've found the correct combination of personnel. How they handle a Swansea team that picked them apart in December will be a good indication of whether this was a one-off. Daniel Harris

5) Wenger has a goalkeeping dilemma

The Arsenal manager suggested he was worried about the pressure on Wojciech Szczesny and that the goalkeeper might benefit from a breather against Bayern Munich. But it is unclear whether Szczesny will feel emboldened by Wenger going public with his doubts about him and, if anything, the spotlight has come to burn even more brightly. Will Wenger recall Szczesny at Swansea City, particularly after Lukasz Fabianski's convincing performance in Munich? It will be one of those days when the release of the team-sheets is eagerly awaited, particularly as the captain, Thomas Vermaelen, is also champing at the bit to return after being overlooked against Bayern. David Hytner

6) All the best, Eamonn

The last time Eamonn Dolan was managing at senior level was back in October 2004, when Barnet were the opponents and 3,589 turned up to watch his final game in charge of Exeter City end in a 3-0 defeat. Things will be a little different in his next match in the dugout, which is at Old Trafford and against a Manchester United team who are top of the table and have taken 52 points from a possible 57 at home this season. Not the sort of assignment too many would welcome in their first game, which means it is no surprise Reading have so far been unable to find a permanent replacement for Brian McDermott, who was sacked on Monday. Dolan, Reading's highly respected academy manager, is close to McDermott and has been in regular touch with him this week. On that basis it seems unlikely there will be too many changes to the Reading starting lineup. In fact, it is difficult to know what Reading have gained by dispensing with the services of McDermott this week, other than giving Dolan a chance to shake hands with Sir Alex Ferguson at the start of what could be a long evening. All the best, Eamonn. Stuart James

7) Cleverley should watch and learn from Carrick

Manchester United's past two games have been characterised by the return of the disappearing midfield, with Tom Cleverley the particular culprit – something that should be giving Ferguson cause for concern. Cleverley has talent, and his ability to keep the ball moving, forwards and quickly, is a significant asset when his team are playing well. But when they are not he becomes almost useless, his poor anticipation at odds with such a sharp football brain and worrying in someone soon to turn 24. Sitting at the side, with express instructions to study the positioning of Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs, would be the best use of his time this weekend. Daniel Harris

8) Pressure on the managers

Everton v Manchester City could well be the most significant game of the weekend. If City fail to win and Manchester United beat Reading, the championship will surely be beyond salvage – and the same probably so of Robert Mancini's job. Similarly, should Everton fail to win and Liverpool beat Southampton, the prospect of European football at Goodison next season will seem remote – an eventuality that may cause the club to relieve David Moyes of the position he has been threatening to abandon. Although under Mancini City have won the Cup followed by the league, and although under Moyes Everton have bought and played well, the teams of both can be charged with similar competitive deficiencies that would render their sackings understandable. This season and last City have been largely unable to produce their best football at clutch moments, carelessly ceding points with apparent apathy until such time as the pressure alleviated – while throughout Moyes's tenure, Everton have contrived to lose derby matches, difficult away games and important cup ties. The problem for both men is that professional sport is unlike most other industries; success is measured not in achievement, but in expectation. Daniel Harris

9) Tottenham must rouse mind and body against Fulham

André Villas-Boas has repeatedly said that the Europa League ought not to be a drain on stamina for the Premier League but the theory faces its acid test at home to Fulham on Sunday. The Tottenham Hotspur manager knows that Thursday to Sunday is the tighter turnaround, as opposed to Sunday to Thursday, and his players must also recover from the physically and mentally sapping trip to Milan, where they needed extra time to squeak past Internazionale in the last-16 second leg. Some of Villas-Boas's players looked out on their feet towards the end. David Hytner

10) "We always beat West Brom"

When it comes to looking through the fixture list, Stoke City supporters can always take comfort from the sight of West Bromwich Albion being up next. "We always beat West Brom" has become a familiar chant in recent years and could be heard at The Hawthorns in December, when Stoke, rather predictably, won 1-0. It was their ninth victory over Albion in the past 12 meetings. Stoke's direct approach seems to ruffle Albion feathers, although things have not been going to plan for Tony Pulis and his players of late, which suggests this could be a good time to visit the Britannia. Stoke have won only one out of their past 10 league games and there are signs that the fans are starting to lose faith with the manager's methods. The lack of entertainment – 181 goals from 181 Premier League games under Pulis is not exactly edge-of-your-seat stuff – is overlooked when the team is winning, it seems, but not so easy to tolerate when results go pear-shaped. A defeat on Saturday and the discontent will get a little louder. Stuart James