Premier League Table: Latest 2015 EPL Standings and Predictions for Matchday 31

Liverpool will be looking to bounce back on Matchday 31 in the Premier League after their defeat to Manchester United, but they face a big challenge with a trip to third-placed Arsenal.

League-leaders Chelsea can take another step closer to the title as they host Stoke City, while Manchester City will hope to retain their second spot with a victory at Crystal Palace.

Both Manchester United and the Gunners are breathing down the Sky Blues' neck in the league table and will likely capitalise on any slip-up from Manuel Pellegrini's side.

Here is a look at the latest league standings along with full predictions for the first week's action back after the international break.

#	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	29	20	7	2	61	25	36	67
2	Manchester City	30	18	7	5	62	28	34	61
3	Arsenal	30	18	6	6	58	31	27	60
4	Manchester United	30	17	8	5	52	27	25	59
5	Liverpool	30	16	6	8	44	32	12	54
6	Southampton	30	16	5	9	42	21	21	53
7	Tottenham Hotspur	30	16	5	9	50	45	5	53
8	Swansea City	30	12	7	11	34	38	-4	43
9	West Ham United	30	11	9	10	40	37	3	42
10	Stoke City	30	12	6	12	34	37	-3	42
11	Crystal Palace	30	9	9	12	36	41	-5	36
12	Newcastle United	30	9	8	13	33	48	-15	35
13	Everton	30	8	10	12	38	42	-4	34
14	West Bromwich Albion	30	8	9	13	27	39	-12	33
15	Hull City	30	6	10	14	28	40	-12	28
16	Aston Villa	30	7	7	16	19	39	-20	28
17	Sunderland	30	4	14	12	23	44	-21	26
18	Burnley	30	5	10	15	26	49	-23	25
19	Queens Park Rangers	30	6	4	20	31	54	-23	22
20	Leicester City	29	4	7	18	27	48	-21	19

Date	Time (BST/ET)	Fixture	Prediction
April 4	12:45 p.m./7:45 a.m.	Arsenal vs. Liverpool	1-1
April 4	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Everton vs. Southampton	1-1
April 4	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Leicester City vs. West Ham	1-2
April 4	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Manchester United vs. Aston Villa	2-0
April 4	3 p.m./10 a.m.	Swansea City vs. Hull City	3-1
April 4	3 p.m./10 a.m.	West Brom vs. QPR	1-0
April 4	5:30 p.m./12:30 p.m.	Chelsea vs. Stoke City	2-0
April 5	1:30 p.m./8:30 a.m.	Burnley vs. Tottenham	1-3
April 5	4 p.m./11 a.m.	Sunderland vs. Newcastle	1-2
April 6	8 p.m./3 p.m.	Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City	1-2

Must-Watch Matchups

Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Liverpool lost 2-1 to United in Week 30, their first defeat in the league since December—also a defeat to the Red Devils.

The dropped points leave Brendan Rodgers' Reds five points off the Champions League spots and in need of a victory against an in-form Arsenal at the Emirates.

The Gunners' league form has been excellent of late, winning six matches on the bounce including the latest 2-1 victory at Newcastle.

They could well be up against a Liverpool side missing both Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel, the former having been shown a red card against United before the latter's late, unnoticed stamp on David de Gea, per the Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst:

Defeat to Arsenal would effectively end Liverpool's hopes of playing Champions League football next season, but they come up against a side looking to overtake second-placed Manchester City in the league table—they are only one point behind the Sky Blues.

The reverse fixture back in December ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, and it looks set to be similarly close at the Emirates.

Prediction: 1-1

Sunderland vs. Newcastle

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Dick Advocaat's first game in charge of Sunderland ended in defeat to West Ham on Saturday, but precedent suggests the Black Cats have an edge against Newcastle in Week 31's Tyne-Wear derby at the Stadium of Light.

Advocaat's immediate predecessors—Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet—both lost their opening games in charge ahead of victory against Newcastle in their respective second matches, a potentially good omen for Sunderland.

It is arguably a much more important game for Sunderland, who sit just one point above the drop zone, the Magpies fairly comfortable in 12th.

But the north-east derby is always a hard-fought clash, and Newcastle will be eager to pick up their first win in the fixture since August 2011. 

Both teams are in fairly miserable form, Sunderland having failed to win any of their last seven games, while Newcastle have picked up only one victory in the same period.

Sunderland's seeming inability to score enough goals could prove the difference—they have failed to find the net in their last three home games—and Newcastle edge their neighbours in terms of quality.

Prediction: 1-2

Crystal Palace vs. Manchester City 

City beat West Brom 3-0 at a canter on Saturday while Alan Pardew continued his successful reign at Palace with a 2-1 win at Stoke.

The former Newcastle boss has a terrific record in his short tenure with the Eagles, per BBC Sport's Ian Dennis, and they will be no pushover for the defending league champions:

A prospective title defence looks highly unlikely for City this season—Chelsea are six points clear at the top with a game in hand—and the Sky Blues are now being threatened from below, Arsenal just one point back and Manchester United two.

Thus a victory is essential for City in a tricky fixture, with Pellegrini's men having been in inconsistent form of late, losing two of their last four matches in the league.

City should have the quality to overcome Palace and keep their second place intact, but it will be a tough task against exciting and resilient hosts.

Prediction: 1-2