EPL Table: Latest Standings, Predictions for 2015 Premier League Title Race

If New Year's Day was any indication, the second half of the Premier League season is going to be unbelievable. 

We have a tie atop the table. A slew of superpowers and surprise entries fighting to stay in the top four. Underachieving teams with a chance to rebound. And much, much more. 

It's going to be a brilliant finish to the season. Below, you'll find the updated table along with a look at how the end of the season might shake out.
 

Table

Place	Team	Matches	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	20	14	4	2	44	19	25	46
2	Man City	20	14	4	2	44	19	25	46
3	Man Utd	20	10	7	3	34	20	14	37
4	So'ton	20	11	3	6	34	15	19	36
5	Tottenham	20	10	4	6	29	27	2	34
6	Arsenal	20	9	6	5	34	25	9	33
7	West Ham	20	9	5	6	31	24	7	32
8	Liverpool	20	8	5	7	28	27	1	29
9	Swansea	20	8	5	7	25	24	1	29
10	Newcastle	20	7	6	7	25	31	-6	27
11	Stoke	20	7	5	8	22	24	-2	26
12	A Villa	20	5	7	8	11	22	-11	22
13	Everton	20	5	6	9	29	33	-4	21
14	S'land	20	3	11	6	18	30	-12	20
15	Hull City	20	4	7	9	20	26	-6	19
16	QPR	20	5	4	11	22	35	-13	19
17	W Brom	20	4	6	10	19	29	-10	18
18	C Palace	20	3	8	9	20	30	-10	17
19	Burnley	20	3	8	9	17	32	-15	17
20	Leicester	20	3	5	12	19	33	-14	14

The Crystal Ball

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

And then there were two.

Actually, to be fair, it's probably always been just two. Two Premier League title contenders, that is. With respects to Manchester United and Southampton, this year's title is going to be won by either Chelsea or Manchester City. 

Of course, trying to distinguish between the pair is virtually impossible. 

They've each won 14 games, drawn four and lost two. They've each scored 44 goals and given up 19. When they played, the game finished as a 1-1 draw. Chelsea's leading scorer, Diego Costa, has 14 goals. So does City's Sergio Aguero. The pair lead the league.

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. Chelsea and Manchester City are literally separated on the Premier League table by the alphabet right now.

Frankly, the only difference statistically is that Chelsea have nine wins in nine home games and have struggled more on the road, while City are sticking with the whole symmetry thing when it comes to records at home and on the road, winning seven matches, drawing two and losing one in both situations.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Perhaps Chelsea fans will point to Cesc Fabregas' league-leading 14 assists. Maybe City will remind everyone they won the title a year ago. But there's one thing most of us can probably agree on—the Premier League title is coming down to these teams. And by all indications, it's going to be one heck of a race. 

In the end, look for Chelsea to nick it. Chelsea's best seems to be just a bit better than City's best. And yes, at this point completely subjective opinions are about all that separates these teams.

The next two spots available are for the Champions League. Manchester United and Southampton are in the driver's seat at the moment, but Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal (let's be honest, the Gunners will finish in the top four because they always finish in the top four) and West Ham United are nipping at their heels, while Liverpool have their work cut out for them.

United have as much attacking talent as any team in the league and would be crazy to not bolster their spine during the transfer period. A player like, say, Kevin Strootman would make a ton of sense.

With their cushion and pedigree, it's hard to not tip United for a third-place finish this year. 

And Arsenal, for all of their strife this year, have suffered through another glut of injuries but are starting to get healthy again, and they are still well within striking distance of the top four. Theo Walcott played in the FA Cup this past weekend. Mesut Ozil has returned to training. Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta could be back in action soon. 

Yes, there are deeper questions at Arsenal this year, like why the squad continues to suffer injury after injury, why the squad didn't come into the season with proper defensive depth and why Arsene Wenger seems disinclined to add an elite defensive midfielder. 

For now, however, the team must just keep fighting on.

“We have suffered [from the chopping and changing in defence]," Per Mertesacker told David Hytner of the Guardian. "We have been through that all season. At one point, you want to be consistent in your lineup, especially the back four. We have to find that. It’s difficult for us at the moment but what keeps us going is our spirit.”

It's hard to imagine Southampton or West Ham keeping pace with the bigger clubs atop the table, clubs that have more depth and more experience in bigger competitions. Each club is a feel-good story, and Southampton's recent win over Arsenal suggests they are going to stay competitive for the long haul, but at some point you would expect a few of the bigger clubs to surpass them.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Tottenham are a good team but they remain without a true star that can elevate them when the rest of the team are underachieving. Chelsea have Costa, Fabregas and Eden Hazard. City have Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure. Manchester United have Angel Di Maria and Wayne Rooney. Arsenal have Alexis Sanchez. Even Liverpool have Daniel Sturridge once he returns from injury. 

Tottenham have balance, yes, but they don't have that one star who can take them to the next level like a Gareth Bale. That will come back to bite them eventually, namely when United finishes third and Arsenal sneaks into fourth place.

Again.