EPL Week 28 Fixtures: Premier League Picks and Predictions for Matchday 28
Despite not featuring last time out in the Premier League, Chelsea will feel they have taken a further step towards the EPL championship after Manchester City collapsed against Liverpool at Anfield.
The defeat sees the current champions stay five points behind the leaders, per BBC Sport, with Chelsea now having a game in hand against the chasing pack.
However, the Special One has a tough match on Wednesday night as Chelsea visit Upton Park to play a West Ham team who have excelled this term.
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But the Hammers have hit a bad run of results with no win in their last five and could be easy pickings for Jose Mourinho's recent League Cup winners.
Here are the fixture details and predictions for the full week's schedule, with players to watch out for:
| Tuesday, Mar. 3 | 7:45 p.m. | Hull City vs. Sunderland | 1-1 |
| Tuesday, Mar. 3 | 7:45 p.m. | Aston Villa vs. West Bromwich Albion | 1-2 |
| Tuesday, Mar. 3 | 7:45 p.m. | Southampton vs. Crystal Palace | 2-1 |
| Wednesday, Mar. 4 | 7:45 p.m. | Manchester City vs. Leicester City | 5-1 |
| Wednesday, Mar. 4 | 7:45 p.m. | Stoke City vs. Everton | 1-0 |
| Wednesday, Mar. 4 | 7:45 p.m. | Newcastle United vs. Manchester United | 1-1 |
| Wednesday, Mar. 4 | 7:45 p.m. | West Ham United vs. Chelsea | 1-2 |
| Wednesday, Mar. 4 | 7:45 p.m. | Queens Park Rangers vs. Arsenal | 2-3 |
| Wednesday, Mar. 4 | 7:45 p.m. | Tottenham Hotspur vs. Swansea City | 2-1 |
| Wednesday, Mar. 4 | 8 p.m. | Liverpool vs. Burnley | 2-0 |
| Saturday, Mar. 7 | 3 p.m. | QPR vs. Tottenham Hotspur | 1-1 |
Key Players to Watch
Liverpool vs. Burnley: Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling
Considering all of the facts, it is astonishing Liverpool are on the verge of making the Champions League once again.
Brendan Rodgers' season seemed over before it had begun as his squad failed to match their fantastic football produced last year, with no Luis Suarez to lead the Anfield charge.
But credit to the manager, Rodgers has found a way, and his team are once again the most threatening team in the EPL.
The Reds sit top of the Premier League form guide, and they dismantled champions Manchester City on Sunday in ruthless fashion.
The form of Philippe Coutinho has been key for the Merseyside pretenders as they claw back the deficit between themselves and the top four.
And the Brazilian has been lauded by his team-mate Joe Allen, per Sky Sports, with the midfielder speaking about Coutinho's wonderful progression in recent months:
"He's so good. The Brazilian team is obviously full of talent but he has to be really pushing for that. I think some people forget how young he is at times. He's a young player getting better all the time.
He's so unpredictable and that's such a good skill to have. He has the ability to turn both ways, he's skilful and a player who comes into that versatile bracket.
He can play in different positions and teams are struggling to deal with him. He showed with the goals he's scored that he has that as part of his game. He was always on this path.
"
Coutinho seems so much older than his 22 years of age suggest, with a maturity in his game, representative of a talent much more experienced and wiser.
The player has just four goals and four assists from his 24 EPL appearances this term, per WhoScored.com, but the South American's form has only recently hit the heights, and he may become the difference between fourth and fifth for Liverpool.
And his achievements have been recognised by the Premier League, as he was named the competition's player of the month, as highlighted by Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo:
But ahead of him on the football pitch, Coutinho has the sublime talent of Raheem Sterling, who has now developed into one of Europe's most exciting attackers.
Sterling has seen himself played through the middle of Rodgers' system, often occupying the striker's role whilst having the opportunity to drop out deeper.
It has worked ever so well for the Reds, with Sterling grabbing six goals and seven assists in the EPL, per WhoScored.
As a unit, Liverpool once again look sharp and progressive as an attacking entity, with their young attackers leading the charge.
Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe spoke about Sterling's development over the past year and expressed his surprise about the talents he has consistently displayed:
Liverpool look in fantastic shape going into the final games of the season, and Coutinho and Sterling will be key in terms of their combination and contribution.
Coutinho has really stepped up this term and is fulfilling the promise he showed in flashes last season. Sterling has continued his meteoric rise of the past two seasons, proving he can be the axis on which his club and country build in the next years.
Both players bring flair to a Liverpool campaign that looked to be poisoned by a poor defence and a lack of ambition.
However, this is no longer the case, with both Coutinho and Sterling proving that sometimes the best form of defence is attack.
