Premier League Week 23 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions for Matchday 23

After a brief pause in the Premier League to accommodate the romance of the FA Cup, it's back to business for England's biggest club sides as the title race continues.

This week's fixture list sees the much-anticipated battle of the EPL favourites as champions Manchester City visit Stamford Bridge to fight league leaders Chelsea.

There could be a backlash from the Premier League's top two outfits after both were humiliated by lower-league opposition and dumped out of the cup. The pair of freak results left both teams' ambitions of emulating Manchester United's 1999 treble-winning side in the dust—and they will have to wait for future campaigns to match this historic achievement.

Here, we provide you with table and fixture information and make predictions for the weekend's action.

#	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	22	16	4	2	51	19	32	52
2	Man City	22	14	5	3	45	22	23	47
3	Southampton	22	13	3	6	37	16	21	42
4	Man Utd	22	11	7	4	36	21	15	40
5	Arsenal	22	11	6	5	39	25	14	39
6	Tottenham	22	11	4	7	32	30	2	37
7	West Ham	22	10	6	6	35	25	10	36
8	Liverpool	22	10	5	7	31	27	4	35
9	Swansea	22	8	6	8	26	30	-4	30
10	Stoke	22	8	5	9	23	27	-4	29
11	Newcastle	22	7	6	9	26	35	-9	27
12	Everton	22	5	8	9	30	34	-4	23
13	C Palace	22	5	8	9	25	33	-8	23
14	W Brom	22	5	7	10	20	29	-9	22
15	A Villa	22	5	7	10	11	25	-14	22
16	Sunderland	22	3	11	8	19	33	-14	20
17	Burnley	22	4	8	10	21	36	-15	20
18	Hull City	22	4	7	11	20	30	-10	19
19	QPR	22	5	4	13	23	39	-16	19
20	Leicester	22	4	5	13	20	34	-14	17

Date	Time (GMT/ET)	Fixture	Prediction
Jan. 31	12:45 p.m./7:45 a.m.	Hull City vs. Newcastle	1-1
Jan. 31	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Crystal Palace vs. Everton	2-1
Jan. 31	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Liverpool vs. West Ham	0-0
Jan. 31	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Manchester United vs. Leicester City	2-1
Jan. 31	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Stoke City vs. QPR	3-1
Jan. 31	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Sunderland vs. Burnley	1-2
Jan. 31	3 p.m./10 a.m.	West Brom vs. Tottenham	0-0
Jan. 31	5:30 p.m./12:30 p.m.	Chelsea vs. Manchester City	2-3
Feb. 1	1:30 p.m./8:30 a.m	Arsenal vs. Aston Villa	4-2
Feb. 1	4 p.m./11 a.m.	Southampton vs. Swansea	2-1

Sergio Aguero to Blow the Title Race Wide Open

Jon Super/Associated Press

During Sergio Aguero's absence through injury, Manchester City have coped admirably without their primary striker, closing the gap on Chelsea after the west London team's outstanding opening gambit to the campaign.

Aguero has seen much of his year hampered by minor knocks which have him glued to the treatment table on an exceptionally regular basis.  

But the Argentina international is now back, and his timing is excellent.

City have lost Yaya Toure to international duty for a month, and although the big midfielder has not hit the vintage form of last year, he is a huge miss for the champions.

His goals have kept City in the hunt for trophies for a long time, and his contribution to the scoring charts cannot be matched by anyone—even the experienced Frank Lampard, who is extending his stay in Manchester.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

City must now face a Chelsea side that will be smarting after their humiliation to Bradford, where they looked anything but a Jose Mourinho side. But City also were unceremoniously beaten at home in the cup by Middlesbrough, and their chances of capturing a trophy this year have taken a swan dive as a result.

However, Chelsea appear more vulnerable at the back than they have at any point in the current campaign, and if Aguero finds his shooting boots, John Terry and Gary Cahill could be in for a rough ride.

Aguero has been his usual monstrous self in front of goal this season and looks as greedy and hungry as ever. He has hit 14 goals in 14 Premier League starts, per WhoScored.com, and his venom seems to increase as he ages.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

But Chelsea have their own predator this season, and Diego Costa will have a big say as to where the points end up on Saturday evening.

Costa has proved he was no flash in the pan in La Liga, driving Atletico Madrid toward the title with his goal count, and it seems he is intent on doing the same thing for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Costa is your typical old-school finisher who does very little else on the football pitch, an element Chelsea missed last season.

Football journalist James Dutton highlighted Costa's playing style and praised his overall impact with the Blues:

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Saturday will be the battle of the alpha-male attackers, and City know they cannot lose the fixture if they want to keep up with Chelsea's pace. But with Aguero once again fit and firing, the Sky Blues can cause one of the shocks of the season and take the win away from the Bridge. 

Aguero has nothing to prove in terms of his ability and goalscoring, but on Saturday he might just prove that there is only one striker in the world who can truly call himself "the greatest."

Prediction: Chelsea 2-3 Manchester City

Arsenal to Burst into the Top Four

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Arsenal have had an indifferent start to their season this year, and there was a suspicion they would not get going any time soon in 2014-15.

Arsene Wenger's men have sat outside of the Champions League positions for some time, and despite purchasing the brilliance of Alexis Sanchez, the Gunners have been conceding goals on too regular a basis.

With a positive goal difference of just 14, the north London outfit have needed to find some form after their Christmas malaise. This is exactly what they have done, winning four of their last five games, placing them third in the current Premier League form guide.

It is just the boost Wenger needed as he plots his way to a strong finish in the final months of the season.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The key to any future Arsenal success is undoubtedly Sanchez, but the returning Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil will give the Gunners an extra dimension to their play.

The 26-year-old Chilean superstar has provided the goals his side have needed in recent weeks—scoring 12 times in 21 league games, per WhoScored—but the lack of a deadly striker has held Arsenal back.

Olivier Giroud is not a world-class centre-forward but is the point of the attacking axis Wenger needs in terms of tactics and balance. His presence will release Sanchez and Co. to wreak havoc.

The Gunners face an out-of-form Aston Villa on Sunday, which gives Wenger's men the opportunity to jump into fourth place in the table above a faltering Manchester United.

Sanchez has been a revelation with his effervescence and character, and his form will likely only improve in the next few weeks.

The Gunners must keep him fit if they want to comfortably achieve their EPL goals this term, but with Southampton flying high and Liverpool coming up on the rails, it is likely to be a photo finish to determine success and failure.

Prediction: Arsenal 4-2 Aston Villa