Premier League Week 22 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions for Matchday 22
The hierarchy of the English top flight continues to jostle about for contention. After reopening a two-point gap at the Premier League summit, Chelsea are chasing further comfort in Week 22.
The Blues recorded a scrappy 2-0 win over Newcastle United to capitalise upon Manchester City's 1-1 result at Goodison Park, but a trip to Swansea City could prove tricky for Jose Mourinho's men this weekend.
Southampton are also in the hunt for consistency following Sunday's 1-0 win at Old Trafford, a result which shows they might be ready for European football, but nothing is certain yet.
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The Premier League is proving as unpredictable as ever, but read on for a breakdown of Week 22 as we foretell the drama set to unfold.
| Position | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Chelsea | 21 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 46 | 19 | +27 | 49 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 21 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 45 | 20 | +25 | 47 |
| 3 | Southampton | 21 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 15 | +20 | 39 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 34 | 21 | +13 | 37 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 21 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 37 | 25 | +12 | 36 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 34 |
| 7 | West Ham | 21 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 33 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 32 |
| 9 | Swansea | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 30 |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 25 | 33 | -8 | 27 |
| 11 | Stoke | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 27 | -5 | 26 |
| 12 | Everton | 21 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 34 | -4 | 22 |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 21 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 23 | -12 | 22 |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 21 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 29 | -9 | 21 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 21 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 22 | 31 | -9 | 20 |
| 16 | Sunderland | 21 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 31 | -13 | 20 |
| 17 | Burnley | 21 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 33 | -14 | 20 |
| 18 | Hull | 21 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 27 | -7 | 19 |
| 19 | Queens Park Rangers | 21 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 37 | -14 | 19 |
| 20 | Leicester | 21 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 33 | -13 | 17 |
| Date | Time | Home | Prediction | Away |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Aston Villa | 0-1 | Liverpool |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Burnley | 2-1 | Crystal Palace |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Leicester City | 1-1 | Stoke City |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | QPR | 1-2 | Manchester United |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Tottenham Hotspur | 2-0 | Sunderland |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Swansea City | 1-2 | Chelsea |
| Saturday, Jan. 17 | 5:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET | Newcastle United | 1-2 | Southampton |
| Sunday, Jan. 18 | 1:30 p.m. GMT/8:30 a.m. ET | West Ham United | 3-1 | Hull City |
| Sunday, Jan. 18 | 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Manchester City | 3-2 | Arsenal |
| Monday, Jan. 19 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Everton | 2-1 | West Brom |
Burnley vs. Crystal Palace
The fight against relegation is once again warming up nicely in the English top flight, and after each taking wins in Week 21, both Burnley and Crystal Palace are in the hunt for more points this Saturday.
The teams saw out a 0-0 stalemate back at Selhurst Park in September, but Alan Pardew is looking to maintain a winning record in his new position at the Eagles' helm.
Burnley beat Queens Park Rangers 2-1 last week to extend their winning record to four matches across all competitions, having recently earned draws from Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle United.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer was quoted in illustrating just how well Sean Dyche has done to produce the success that he has this term:
Currently level on points, both Palace and Burnley know that Saturday's clash could ultimately have a huge hand in deciding their top-flight survival.
Pardew may receive a boost by the weekend's fixture, too, after Sky Sports' Pete O'Rourke reported Palace had won the race to sign Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo on loan:
Dyche's men have lost just one of their last six league outings at Turf Moor, but three points could move either side as high as 12th, great motivation for Pardew's side if they ever needed it.
The tense circumstances of the meeting promise to make this a tight and tetchy face-off, but if the Clarets can get Danny Ings into useful positions, they should possess the attacking edge required.
Prediction: Burnley 2-1 Crystal Palace
QPR vs. Manchester United
Louis van Gaal saw his side suffer their first defeat in 11 matches on Sunday, but a trip to Loftus Road offers Manchester United a simpler task of returning to form.
It was the Hoops who provided the Red Devils with their first Premier League win under Van Gaal, losing 4-0 on their trip to Old Trafford last September.
As The Sun points out, Van Gaal's record after 21 games is now identical to that of David Moyes during his single-season disappointment at Old Trafford:
United's home form had been sparkling in the build-up to last weekend's defeat, but the club haven't won away from home since early December, which was ironically their own fortunate win over the Saints.
QPR, meanwhile, are on a four-game losing streak in league competition and scored only one goal in their last three home fixtures across all campaigns.
Following last week's defeat at Burnley, QPR veteran Clint Hill was quoted by the club's official Twitter account in proclaiming spirits are still high at Loftus Road:
This Saturday, Harry Redknapp's men will need to be at their strongest defensively in a fixture which could see Rio Ferdinand feature against his former club.
Redknapp can take comfort in knowing the the 2-1 win at St. Mary's was also the last away league fixture in which United managed to score more than one goal, but the Red Devils should bounce back.
Prediction: QPR 1-2 Manchester United
Manchester City vs. Arsenal
Arsenal were relentless in their 3-0 drubbing of Stoke City on Sunday, but the prospect of taking on defending Premier League champions Manchester City is an entirely different challenge.
The Citizens were stumped by Everton last weekend and know that a second mistake this Sunday would see them fall within risk of losing second place.
Per Squawka, City's draw on Merseyside was largely thanks to a lack of build-up accuracy:
Manuel Pellegrini's side haven't dropped points in successive matches since their three-game winless streak in August/September, but with Mesut Ozil and Laurent Koscielny recently returning from injury, the Gunners' luck is up.
Arsene Wenger's men lost 6-3 in their last trip to the Etihad Stadium last December and haven't won there since a 3-0 triumph in 2010.
Alexis Sanchez bagged a brace again the Potters on Sunday and will be key to the Gunners' hopes this weekend, with QPR midfielder Joey Barton quoted by BBC Sport as hailing the Chilean's snappy reactions:
A major factor in this tie will be the return of Sergio Aguero. The Argentinian made his return to action with a substitute appearance against the Toffees, but Pellegrini won't want to rush his talisman back into the starting XI.
That being said, it's in midfield that City can say they perhaps hold the advantage, with the likes of James Milner and Yaya Toure looking to outshine Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-2 Arsenal
