Liverpool have won nearly every game this season against teams in the bottom half (on the day of the game). And failed to win any against teams in the top half.

Their last nine league wins have all been against teams starting the day in the bottom half - this season it's six wins and a draw from seven games.

Against teams in the top 10? Four draws and two defeats from six games in 2017-18.

Good news for the Reds - Stoke are 15th.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

Jurgen Klopp has been explaining his curveball Liverpool selection which includes Dominic Solanke and leaves out Mohamed Salah.

"In this period you still need to have intensity in your game and you can have intensity every three days if you make the change, and that’s why we do it," he said.

“I hope we can perform, of course, but I show the faith and the boys show their quality – that would be cool.”

And it appears Ragnar Klavan is a victim of the British climate.

“Raggy is ill, that’s how it is at this time of the year, in late November in the north-west of England - it can happen."

I lived in Liverpool for three years, and I had a bottle of cola freeze in my hand in -25C in Tallinn. I'm fairly sure an Estonian can handle English temperatures.

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport at Etihad Stadium

Image source, BBC Sport

Among the festive-themed gifts on sale at the Etihad Stadium tonight is an official club advent calendar - but it is possible Manchester City could hit a landmark points tally before any of their fans can get their hands on a miniature chocolate treat on 1 December.

Beat Southampton tonight, and Pep Guardiola’s side will reach the magic 40-point mark faster than any side in Premier League history, after just 14 games.

The double-winning Manchester United side of 1993-94 managed it a little earlier in terms of the date - on 20 November - but, like Chelsea in 2005-06, they needed 15 games to do it.

It is a tally that usually represents Premier League safety but this early it means something else - both of those teams went on to win the title.

Manchester City

Image source, PA

Manchester City have won 37 points from their 13 matches this season – the best-ever points total by a team at this stage of a Premier League campaign.

They could be on 40 points by the close of play. Safety!

Southampton

Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino: "Pep Guardiola and I won the league together at Barcelona. It was a beautiful moment in my career. He deserves admiration for his results. Everyone can learn from him at the moment."

Steve Bower
Match of the Day commentator

Image source, Getty Images

The 'record breakers' have another landmark in their sight. Never in Manchester City's history have they won 12 league games in a row as Southampton attempt to do something only Everton have achieved so far this season, and put the brakes on City's seemingly runaway train.

You can understand why Pep Guardiola cited the weekend win at Huddersfield as their most important so far and Mauricio Pellegrino can only hope that the leaders need to show those battling qualities and character again.

Mark Scott
Match of the Day commentator

Image source, Reuters

Coming just days after the "unacceptable" capitulation against Atalanta, the shambles at Southampton has increased the sense of crisis at Everton - as well adding even more urgency to their search for a new manager.

David Unsworth has labelled his last game in caretaker charge as "must-win" while there's also the David Moyes subplot to chuck into the mix - one aspect of which is Unsworth having scored the first goal of Moyes' reign at Goodison Park!

Moyes has a poor record against his former club but may be facing them at just the right time to change that, having seen signs of improvement at West Ham, while the Toffees continue to be extremely generous at the back.

It might be a scrap between two struggling sides, but it should be compelling viewing.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Everton's appointment of Sam Allardyce is the result of a combination of desperation and necessity on the part of major shareholder Farhad Moshiri.

If Allardyce truly was the leader Moshiri says he required he could have appointed him after their first contact in early November - when the 63-year-old withdrew from the process citing the lack of an offer - and before the doomed pursuit of Watford's Marco Silva.

In the intervening period Everton's situation has become desperate as caretaker manager David Unsworth has been unable to stop performances and results declining on an alarming scale.

Everton's 4-1 loss at Southampton made Moshiri, who likes a star in the technical area and even harboured wildly unrealistic hopes of attracting Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone, turn back to Allardyce.

It left Allardyce in a powerful negotiating position as Everton went to him for his brand of pragmatic troubleshooting that served Sunderland and Crystal Palace so well.

From Allardyce's point of view he has been handed arguably the biggest club and transfer fund of his managerial career but will need to make a fast start to quell the undoubted scepticism about his arrival from some elements of Everton's fan base.

Image source, BBC Sport

Manchester City make two changes as Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus replace Leroy Sane and David Silva. It's still a mega strong team.

Man City: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Delph, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Sterling, Aguero, Gabriel Jesus. Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Mangala, Bernardo Silva, Silva, Alexander Zinchenko, Diaz.

Image source, BBC Sport

Southampton make sweeping changes with manager Mauricio Pellegrino saying his team 'will have to run a lot more' tonight.

Out go Charlie Austin, Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic and Sofiane Boufal.

Southampton: Forster, Cedric, Yoshida, van Dijk, Hoedt, Bertrand, Hojbjerg, Romeu, Lemina, Redmond, Long. Subs: Davis, Austin, Tadic, McCarthy, Boufal, Gabbiadini, McQueen.

It's the end of an era tonight. The David Unsworth era.

If eight games counts as an era.

Sam Allardyce will finalise a deal to become Everton manager today.

Unsworth, the club's under-23 boss, has been in temporary charge since Ronald Koeman was sacked.

He wanted the permanent job but only won one of his seven games (before tonight).

Image source, Getty Images

Tom Hutchings: With the manager merry-go-round in full swing in the Premier League over the last few months, why not give manager transfers a go instead?

I'm sure it's in the Premier League's plans somewhere Tom...

Everton

Image source, .

David Unsworth makes five changes for his final game in charge of Everton.

The injured Leighton Baines is replaced by Cuco Martina, while Ashley Williams starts in place of Michael Keane.

Mason Holgate also replaces club captain Phil Jagielka in a re-jigged defence.

Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, comes back into the starting XI for Kevin Mirallas, while Tom Davies is preferred to Morgan Schneiderlin.

Image source, .

David Moyes must contend without Andy Carroll for the game against Everton, after the striker picked up a knock in training.

The Scot makes only one change to the starting 11 for Moyes' return to Goodison Park following the 1-1 draw with Leicester City last Friday.

Carroll's setback sees Andre Ayew comes into the side as his replacement. The Ghanaian missed the game against Watford with illness and and came on as a substitute against Leicester.

John Southall
BBC Radio 5 live football reporter

Image source, .

Great view from the press box at the Bridge, over the halfway line and right behind the dugouts. It’s the perfect position for manager watch.

Antonio Conte, the hyperactive ball of energy, and his opposite number Paul Clement, more reserved and no doubt more apprehensive.

Swansea limp into west London with the manager under pressure, with seven goals to their name so far this season and without a win since mid October. It looks a tall order for them but a crumb of comfort, Chelsea have won just one of their last four top-flight games against Swansea. You never know....or do you ?

You'd expect a striker with one goal in his last 27 games - and none in nine - to be short of confidence.

But not Swansea's former Manchester City forward Wilfried Bony.

“I’ve not scored against Chelsea yet - they are the only top team I’ve not scored against, so I’m hoping to end that run on Wednesday night,” said Bony.

“Last weekend I was so close to getting my first goal since I came back here, and now I’m even more determined because I want to score.

“And if I do - and we win - then you can expect to see a dance celebration, that’s for sure. ”

Image source, PA

Former Chelsea players Ashley Cole and Michael Essien turned up in New York at the weekend to take the Premier League trophy on a tour of the city - including the Empire State Building.

They also watched the 1-1 draw against Liverpool with about 500 Blues fans.

Slightly weird considering both players currently play for other clubs?

Reckon Diego Costa was unavailable?

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Brotherton
MOTD commentator

Chelsea return home for what looks on paper to be the start of a decent run of fixtures until the new year. Only one of their next eight Premier League matches is against a team currently in the top half and that's Southampton who are 10th.

Swansea's goalless draw with Bournemouth at the weekend at least brought their recent four-match losing run to an end, but they haven't scored for three games now. The lack of a cutting edge has been costly with only three away goals scored all season and two of them were in one afternoon at Crystal Palace.

The pressure's on for Paul Clement, whose team sit just a point and a place off the bottom and it's unlikely to ease at Stamford Bridge.

Image source, PA

There are some big-hitters on the benches tonight in the Premier League.

How would this XI of subs tonight get on in the Premier League?

Leroy Sane was in originally until I realised that he's not actually in Manchester City's squad at all. James Milner does a job as ever...

Image source, BBC Sport

Burnley

The Clarets have won four of their last eight away Premier League games (D2 L2), as many as they managed in their first 55 games in the competition.

Stoke’s top scorer Peter Crouch makes his first league start of the season in a frontline that also includes Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Xherdan Shaqiri.

In defence Bruno Martins-Indi is preferred to Kevin Wimmer with Ramadan Sobhi on the bench. Joe Allen, like Crouch, starts against his former side.

Liverpool's top scorer Mohamed Salah drops to the bench, but Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane return to the starting line-up after the draw at home to Chelsea.

There is a first league start for Dominic Solanke since his summer arrival while Emre Can and Dejan Lovren return from minor injuries.

Alistair Bruce-Ball
BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth and Burnley fans are probably fed up of their managers being linked with other jobs in the Premier League but unfortunately that comes hand in hand with the success that Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche have brought to their clubs.

The challenge they're both tackling is to make those clubs a regular fixture in the Premier League and they're doing a pretty good job of it - Bournemouth have recovered well this season after losing five of their first six games.

Burnley, meanwhile, are right on the coat tails of the big boys thanks in no small part to their superb away form - they've only been beaten on their travels by Manchester City.

And a happy birthday to Eddie Howe who turns 40 having spent almost a quarter of his life as a football manager!