Premier League Week 24 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions for Matchday 24
The hysteria of the January transfer window is slowly dissipating, and with winter business out of the way, the Premier League clubs can get back to what matters most: the football.
Chelsea and Manchester City saw out a 1-1 draw in the battle of the title contenders this past weekend, but Week 24 of the 2014-15 campaign focuses more exclusively on the top-four race.
Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are each involved in some heady encounters that promise to dictate their European football hopes.
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Read on for a breakdown of Week 24, along with a preview and prediction of this weekend's most high-profile matchups.
| Date | Time | Home | Prediction | Away |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 12:45 p.m. GMT/7:45 a.m. ET | Tottenham Hotspur | 2-3 | Arsenal |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Aston Villa | 0-3 | Chelsea |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Leicester City | 1-1 | Crystal Palace |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Manchester City | 4-0 | Hull City |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | QPR | 2-3 | Southampton |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Swansea City | 2-1 | Sunderland |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 | 5:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET | Everton | 1-2 | Liverpool |
| Sunday, Feb. 8 | 12 p.m. GMT/7 a.m. ET | Burnley | 1-1 | West Brom |
| Sunday, Feb. 8 | 2:05 p.m. GMT/9:05 a.m. ET | Newcastle United | 2-2 | Stoke |
| Sunday, Feb. 8 | 4:15 p.m. GMT/11:15 a.m. ET | West Ham United | 1-2 | Manchester United |
| Position | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Points |
| 1 | Chelsea | 22 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 52 | 20 | 32 | 53 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 22 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 46 | 23 | 23 | 48 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 39 | 22 | 17 | 43 |
| 4 | Southampton | 23 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 17 | 20 | 42 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 23 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 44 | 29 | 14 | 42 |
| 6 | Tottenham | 23 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 35 | 30 | 5 | 40 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 23 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 33 | 27 | 6 | 38 |
| 8 | West Ham | 23 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 27 | 8 | 36 |
| 9 | Swansea | 23 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 27 | 30 | -3 | 33 |
| 10 | Stoke City | 23 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 28 | -2 | 32 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 35 | -6 | 30 |
| 12 | Everton | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 31 | 34 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 23 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 25 | 34 | -9 | 23 |
| 14 | Sunderland | 23 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 21 | 33 | -12 | 23 |
| 15 | WBA | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 32 | -12 | 22 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 29 | -19 | 22 |
| 17 | Burnley | 23 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 21 | 38 | -17 | 20 |
| 18 | Hull City | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 33 | -13 | 19 |
| 19 | QPR | 23 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 24 | 42 | -18 | 19 |
| 20 | Leicester | 23 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 21 | 37 | -16 | 17 |
Must-Watch Matchups
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal
The first of Saturday's two inner-city derbies will see Arsenal make the short trip to Tottenham as Arsene Wenger's men look to distance themselves further from their local rivals with a sixth consecutive win.
The Gunners' recent rise in form across both Premier League and FA Cup campaigns has helped promote a more squad-wide effort from Wenger's men. James Olley of the London Evening Standard enforced such a point following their recent 5-0 drubbing of Aston Villa:
Arsenal ran rampant even without Alexis Sanchez, but overcoming a team of Tottenham's strength at White Hart Lane will be a far more difficult task than Paul Lambert's relegation candidates could muster.
Ian Darke of BT Sport agrees that the hunt for a top-four finish has been blasted wide open, with Arsenal, fifth, now sitting just two points ahead of Spurs, sixth:
Tottenham, meanwhile, are still very much reliant on two figures in particular; Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen to be exact, each of whom scored in last weekend's 3-0 win at West Brom.
January signing Gabriel Paulista may be in line for a Gunners derby debut, and it seems like a depth of in-form players and high spirits will put Arsenal in the driving seat for this clash.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Arsenal
Everton vs. Liverpool
A clash of Merseyside giants is the other derby fixture worth keeping an eye on in Week 24, where Everton will attempt to claw back some of the 12-point margin which currently separates them from Liverpool.
At present, the Goodison Park collision is slated for an evening kick-off, but the Telegraph reports the authorities are seeking to get the timing altered in an attempt to limit fans causing chaos:
With Roberto Martinez's side in 12th spot, this may not be the most fierce encounter between the two Liverpool outfits in recent times, at least not as far as possessing similar prospects goes.
However, the Merseyside tug-of-war sits as one of the Premier League's most cherished derbies for a reason. Daniel Sturridge returned to action in the 2-0 win over West Ham on Saturday, with the official Premier League Twitter account revealing there may be some sense of fortunate timing to his comeback:
The striker will be among those seeking to ensure Brendan Rodgers' side uphold a fine record of recent scoring form at Goodison, having netted seven times across their last three league trips to the ground.
Only one of those has ended with victory, however, and with the Toffees recording just one win in their last nine outings—against Crystal Palace in Week 23—the Reds have morale and good form running in their favour.
Prediction: Everton 1-2 Liverpool
West Ham United vs. Manchester United
West Ham are at risk of falling further away from the top-four spots this Sunday, with the visit of Manchester United threatening to set the east Londoners further apart from their elite peers.
Earlier this season, it looked as though Sam Allardyce's side were capable of making a run into the European places, but having failed to claim results against the big guns of the Premier League, that fate seems all but lost.
The Hammers have won just once since Christmas, losing to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as dropping points against Swansea City, but United have lost just one of their last 13 league matches.
Since suffering that 1-0 defeat at home to Southampton, Louis van Gaal's men have responded with back-to-back wins. However, following Saturday's 3-1 victory over Leicester, the Dutchman told MUTV, per the Press Association's Paul Hirst (h/t Daily Mail), that Champions League football is not yet assured:
"No, because (only) at the end of the league matches we divide the titles and not at this moment.
It shall be a big battle to the end. That is a big battle. West Ham has lost (to Liverpool on Saturday). One competitor shall lose.
"
A win for the Upton Park hosts would see West Ham move to within four points of third-place United and revive their European vision, but slaying titans has been a difficult task for Allardyce's team of late.
The Red Devils has rediscovered a fit squad in the new year and are fully capable of clinching points in the nation's capital, using Arsenal's recent example of how to win at Upton Park as motivation for their own success.
Prediction: West Ham United 1-2 Manchester United
