Premier League Table: Latest 2014 EPL Standings and Predictions for Matchday 18

Chelsea were brought back to level pegging for little more than 48 hours this weekend, but they once again established a three-point gap at the Premier League summit following Monday's 2-0 win at Stoke City.

The victory ensures that Jose Mourinho's men will be top of the table at Christmas, but Boxing Day brings with it another opportunity for England's giants to swarm upon the west Londoners.

There's no rest for the wicked as Christmas celebrations are cut short in the pursuit of Premier League glory and the Boxing Day schedule gives fans another welcome day of domestic drama.

Read on for fixture details and predictions of this year's festive slate.

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	Chelsea	17	13	3	1	37	13	+24	39
2	Manchester City	17	12	3	2	36	14	+22	39
3	Manchester United	17	9	5	3	30	18	+12	32
4	West Ham	17	9	4	4	29	19	+10	31
5	Southampton	17	9	2	6	28	13	+15	29
6	Arsenal	17	7	6	4	30	21	+9	27
7	Tottenham	17	8	3	6	22	23	-1	27
8	Swansea	17	7	4	6	22	19	+3	25
9	Newcastle United	17	6	5	6	18	23	-5	23
10	Liverpool	17	6	4	7	21	24	-3	22
11	Everton	17	5	6	6	27	27	0	21
12	Aston Villa	17	5	5	7	11	21	-10	20
13	Stoke	17	5	4	8	18	23	-5	19
14	Sunderland	17	3	10	4	15	24	-9	19
15	West Bromwich Albion	17	4	5	8	17	23	-6	17
16	Queens Park Rangers	17	5	2	10	20	32	-12	17
17	Crystal Palace	17	3	6	8	19	27	-8	15
18	Burnley	17	3	6	8	12	26	-14	15
19	Hull	17	2	7	8	15	24	-9	13
20	Leicester	17	2	4	11	15	29	-14	10

Date	Time	Fixture	Prediction
Friday, Dec. 26	12:45 p.m. GMT/7:45 a.m. ET	Chelsea vs. West Ham United	3-1
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	Burnley vs. Liverpool	1-1
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	Crystal Palace vs. Southampton	1-2
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	Everton vs. Stoke City	2-1
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	Leicester City vs. Tottenham	1-2
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	Manchester United vs. Newcastle United	2-0
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	Sunderland vs. Hull City	1-0
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	Swansea City vs. Aston Villa	2-0
Friday, Dec. 26	3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET	West Brom vs. Manchester City	1-3
Friday, Dec. 26	5:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET	Arsenal vs. QPR	2-1

Burnley Quell Liverpool Threat to Keep up Turf Moor Record

Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday evening left the Anfield hosts with a dilemma in how to feel about the result. They were pleased to avoid defeat but also bemused at having thrown away a fixture they dominated.

The Guardian's Sachin Nakrani highlights Brendan Rodgers' defence as a particular area of concern for the Reds, noting that a Boxing Day fixture at Burnley doesn't hold promise for improvement:

Sean Dyche's men searched long and hard for their first win of the season, waiting until November to take their first three-point haul. But they have now lost just twice in their last seven games.

It's worth noting that both of those defeats came in away territory. The Clarets are unbeaten in their last four home matches and haven't suffered defeat at Turf Moor since October.

Ryan Keaney of OptaJoe attests that the Turf Moor framework has been hit more often than any of its other Premier League equivalents this season:

That statistic doesn't show if Burnley should be grateful or upset with how often the posts have been struck, but their recent record in front of a home crowd is reason for Liverpool to be afraid all the same.

At Turf Moor, Dyche's side has conceded just two goals in the last 360 minutes on the pitch. Still showing the same lack of a scoring touch against Arsenal, Rodgers' visitors will struggle to break down a team all too familiar with frustrating "bigger" opposition under these circumstances.

Prediction: Burnley 1-1 Liverpool

Newcastle United Continue Downward Spiral at Old Trafford

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

For several weeks, it looked as though Alan Pardew's Newcastle United could stage a Southampton-esque surprise on the Premier League's top four, but the winter period has been frosty and unkind to the Magpies.

A last-gasp derby defeat to Sunderland on Sunday wasn't what Pardew had in mind in attempting to steer his side back on track, and a Boxing Day trip to Old Trafford is not holding far greater prospects.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Manchester United were themselves held this past weekend—though their 1-1 draw at Aston Villa was slightly more pleasing than Newcastle's outcome.

Louis van Gaal's lineup remains unbeaten in its last seven games, but Pardew has to rally after Adam Johnson dealt his side such a sour blow. In the wake of the Sunderland loss, the manager said he was left "hurt" by the loss, per BBC Sport:

One positive to come from the Red Devils' draw at Villa Park manifested in the form of Radamel Falcao returning to the scoresheet. According to the official Manchester United Twitter account, this could be the start of something great for the Colombian, who is nearing full fitness:

United remain seven points away from second-place Manchester City and have a task on their hands in surmounting the deficit.

If they're to close the gap, this winter fixture list will play a massive hand in their campaign, with Juan Mata quoted by the club's official website stating the importance of these next games:

"

As you know, there is no break in the Premier League - this is the busiest month of the season, actually - so it’s a very important period of the year when you can win or lose a lot of points in just a few days. In fact, this week we play on Friday and Sunday.

Also in Christmas, I like to play and see the special atmosphere in the stadiums, particularly on Boxing Day when I’m sure Old Trafford will be full of kids. This is one of the most special games of the season and, no doubt, one of the symbols of the Premier League. We will try to have a great day by winning against Newcastle.

"

However, since their opening-day defeat to Swansea City, the club has dropped only two more points at home (a 1-1 sharing of the spoils with Chelsea).

Newcastle aren't in any shape to upset the Red Devils, given the Manchester side's current vein of confidence when in front of an Old Trafford audience, and any loss will leave them open to fall into the bottom half of the table.

Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United