Jose Mourinho's quest to stall Liverpool's march towards the Premier League title is the highlight of this weekend's top-flight games.

While the top of the table seems sewn up, the relegation battle is anything but, with a number of clubs casting increasingly anxious glances over their shoulders as others show signs of stirring.

Here we look at five key points ahead of the weekend.

Ole and out?

After just two wins in six and smarting from a dismal Carabao Cup defeat to their near neighbours, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's future at Manchester United seems to be hanging by a thread. Anything other than victory over struggling Norwich at Old Trafford would surely curtail the reign of the popular Norwegian, and leave United facing up to another managerial failure.

Mourinho faces striking conundrum

With his Tottenham honeymoon well and truly over, Mourinho must work out how to stop Liverpool without his talismanic striker Harry Kane. The likely employment of Son Heung-min in Kane's number nine role would negate his threat out wide and leave Mourinho with another conundrum. These are testing times for Spurs, with optimism over Mourinho's arrival quickly dwindling.

Howe must pull Bournemouth out of mire

Eddie Howe is rightly hailed for the way in which he hauled Bournemouth from the brink of bankruptcy and turned them into a top-flight force. But he is now facing one of the most challenging periods of his career as the Cherries head into their game with Watford on Saturday having slipped into the relegation zone on the back of four games without a win.

Bruce feeling the heat over flop Joelinton

Newcastle's gradual slide back towards the relegation dogfight has been encapsulated in the dismal form of £40million striker Joelinton. The Brazilian turned in an abject performance in Saturday's FA Cup draw at Rochdale, and after three straight league defeats, patience is hardly running high on Tyneside. He is likely to be handed another chance at Wolves, but it could be one of his last.

Arteta ready to learn from the old guard

Eras collide at Selhurst Park on Saturday where Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta faces Crystal Palace counterpart Roy Hodgson, who is 35 years his senior. Arteta has made a mightily impressive start at the Emirates Stadium. Victory at Palace would serve as another significant stride in the right direction for a club still seeking to recapture the consistency of Arsene Wenger's time in charge.