Pat Nevin
Former Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

I suspect they are that far behind already I can't see either of them catching Manchester City.

Whoever wins this one I would suggest they have their fingernails on the edge of the cliff, but not much more than that.

Mark Lawrenson
Former Liverpool defender on BBC Radio 5 live

Manchester City, regardless of Chelsea and Liverpool, they just look unbeatable.

They create loads and loads of chances, they have a big squad.

I think it is going to be very, very difficult for either teams today to be anywhere near City at the end of the season.

Just how big is the clash between Chelsea and Liverpool later this afternoon?

Let's get the thoughts from some of our experts and former players...

Image source, BBC Sport

And here is the promised full team news from this game...

Everton manager Rafael Benitez makes four changes from his side's last match - a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on 16 December.

The headline news is that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin makes his make his first appearance since August after recovering from thigh and toe injuries.

Demarai Gray, Seamus Coleman and Allan also return in place of Jarrad Branthwaite, Alex Iwobi and Ellis Simms.

Everton XI: Pickford, Kenny, Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey,Gordon, Doucoure, Allan, Gray, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs: Digne, Begovic, Iwobi, Andre Gomes, Gbamin, Rondon, Simms, Dobbin,Onyango.

Image source, BBC Sport

Brighton manager Graham Potter names three changes following the Seagulls' own 1-1 draw at Chelsea in midweek.

Adam Webster, Enock Mwepu and Leandro Trossard return. Tariq Lamptey, Solly March and Jakub Moder drop to the bench.

Brighton XI: Sanchez, Veltman, Webster, Burn, Cucurella, Mwepu, Bissouma, Lallana, Mac Allister, Maupay, Trossard.

Subs: Lamptey, Gross, Moder, Alzate, Welbeck, March, Steele, Duffy, Richards.

Leeds United

Raphinha has been the undoubted shining light in a disappointing season for Leeds so far.

Marcelo Bielsa's side are 16th in the table having lost three Premier League games in a row, conceding a total of 14 goals.

Burnley

Image source, Getty Images

This is a surprising stat...

Burnley are on a Premier League record run of 109 consecutive matches without a red card.

Today game marks exactly two years since their last top-flight dismissal, when Robbie Brady was sent off in a 2-1 win at Huddersfield.

Brentford

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Frank's Brentford side are playing in the Premier League for the first time.

Their tally of eight league defeats this season is already one more than in the entirety of the previous campaign in the Championship.

The Bees have lost five Premier League home matches, with only fellow promoted clubs Norwich and Watford faring worse.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has declined to explicitly state the reason for Ollie Watkins' absence but confirmed Villa are suffering problems with Covid and injuries. Read into that what you will.

Pat Nevin
Former Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

Some of the phrases from the interview really jumped out, such as, 'You've really changed the style, the system'... what? Where? I've not seen it. It's 3-4-3 or a 3-4-1-2 and that's how Chelsea have played under Thomas Tuchel the entire time.

If Romelu Lukaku wants Chelsea to change to suit him, that's not great news for them seen as they won the Champions League without him. He's not creating or scoring as many goals as Reece James is, by the way. I know he cost a lot of money, but he's just another player.

Image source, Getty Images

Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns from injury for Everton in one of four changes.

The striker makes his first appearance since the corresponding fixture with Brighton back on 28 August –127 days ago.

Full team news to follow.

Everton XI: Pickford; Kenny, Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey; Gordon, Doucouré, Allan, Gray; Calvert-Lewin.

Brighton XI: Sánchez; Veltman, Webster, Burn; Mwepu, Lallana, Bissouma, Cucurella; Trossard, Mac Allister; Maupay.

The big team news for later today is that Romelu Lukaku is set to be dropped for Chelsea's game against Liverpool.

It comes after Lukaku said in an interview recorded several weeks ago but aired on Thursday he was "not happy" with his bit-part role under Blues boss Thomas Tuchel earlier this season.

He added he would like to return to Inter Milan, who he left for Chelsea in August, in the near future.

"I don't like it," Chelsea boss Tuchel said about the comments. "But I don't want to make more out of it than it actually is. It is very easy to take lines out of context."

BBC Radio 5 live are building up to today's games right now. Tune in.

Hosts Brentford make two changes from their 1-0 defeat by Manchester City as Christian Norgaard returns from suspension and Sergi Canos is also restored to the starting line-up by Bees boss Thomas Frank.

Young duo Dominic Thompson and Shandon Baptiste drop to the bench, while Kristoffer Ajer, back after two months out with a hamstring injury, is also among the substitutes but Bryan Mbeumo again misses out with a calf problem.

Brentford XI: Fernandez, Pinnock, Jansson, Bech Sorensen, Roerslev, Norgaard, Jensen, Onyeka, Canos, Wissa, Toney.

Subs: Cox, Thompson, Stevens, Ajer, Janelt, Bidstrup, Ghoddos, Baptiste, Forss.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins misses out on a return to his former club, absent from the matchday squad entirely as the visitors make three changes for the trip to the Brentford Community Stadium.

Bertrand Traore replaces Watkins, John McGinn returns from a period of isolation at the expense of Morgan Sanson in midfield and Kortney Hause comes in for Tyrone Mings, who is serving a one-match suspension for accumulating five bookings.

Ashley Young remains out with a fractured toe as Villa include 16-yeard-old defender Josh Feeney among five teenagers on their substitutes' bench.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash. Konsa, Hause, Targett, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Buendia, Ramsey, Traore, Ings.

Subs: Steer, Feeney, Sanson, Iroegbunam, Trezeguet, El Ghazi, Chukwuemeka, Philogene-Bidace, Archer.

Leeds have not played in two weeks following successive postponements, with boss Marcelo Bielsa making two changes to the side beaten 4-1 by Arsenal.

Junior Firpo and Diego Llorente return at the back, with Cody Drameh and Joe Gelhardt making way.

Daniel James is deemed fit enough to make the bench, though there is still no Patrick Bamford.

Leeds XI: Meslier, Ayling, Koch, Llorente, Firpo, Forshaw, Dallas, Klich, Raphinha, Harrison, Roberts.

Image source, BBC Sport

Sean Dyche sticks with the same Burnley side that lost to Manchester United, with Wayne Hennessey keeping his place in goal in the absence of Nick Pope.

Burnley XI: Hennessey, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Westwood, Cork, Gudmundsson, McNeil, Lennon, Wood.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

The battle to stay in the Premier League is where things could become interesting in the latter stages of the season, especially with cash-rich Newcastle expected to be busy bolstering their side in the January transfer window.

Leeds and Burnley meet in what looks like being a huge encounter at the bottom end of the table.

The Clarets are in the bottom three and have not won since October, while Leeds have lost their last three, conceding 14 goals in the process, but a win for either side will provide a real boost to their hopes of avoiding falling through the trapdoor, while leaving the other side nervously looking over their shoulder.

"It's third versus second when Chelsea play Liverpool on Sunday and at least one of them is going to drop points," BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson said.

"That has already been happening to both teams in the past few weeks. Meanwhile, Manchester City just keep on winning and the pressure is off them now because they are never chasing anything.

"It's a great position for City to be in, especially when they are in such great form too."

This week's guest for the first fixtures of the new year is Dan McCarthy, singer and guitarist with London band KAWALA.

See Sunday's predictions here

Five games were scheduled but only four remain...for now.

Here is what we have today:

Brentford v Aston Villa

Everton v Brighton

Leeds v Burnley

Southampton P-P Newcastle

Chelsea v Liverpool (16:30)

Image source, .

Manchester City made the ideal start to 2022 with a win against Arsenal yesterday to put the pressure firmly onto Chelsea and Liverpool ahead of today's encounter.

Both do have at least one game in hand (two in Liverpool's case) and a win for either today will give them some hope of keeping up the fight with Pep Guardiola's side.

Lose, though, and it becomes a very difficult task. The two don't meet until much later this afternoon, however, and there's games before then so let's see what we've got coming up today.