Premier League Week 21 Fixtures: EPL TV Schedule, Live Stream and Picks
Manchester United's game against Liverpool at Old Trafford highlights the Premier League fixtures for Week 21. It's sure to prove a stern test of the latter's ability to stay in the title race.
United and Liverpool will meet on Sunday, the same day Manchester City face a tricky trip to Goodison Park to meet Everton. The Citizens have shown signs of life in the title race recently, following some testing times, but any dropped points will be costly for the side in fourth place.
However, Saturday's matches will also have a big influence on the standings at the top of the table. In particular, leaders Chelsea will look to rebound from their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last time out by beating champions Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Yet Arsenal's trip to relegation-threatened Swansea could have a more far-reaching impact, particularly at the foot of the table. The Gunners have slipped to fifth after dropping too many points over the Christmas and New Year's period.
Meanwhile, the Swans are 19th and facing the looming prospect of playing in the Championship next season. New manager Paul Clement will be counted on to reverse fortunes against an Arsenal side worryingly frail at the back.
Here are the fixtures, along with viewing and schedule details, as well as picks for each match:
| Date | Time (GMT/ET) | Match | TV | Live Stream | Picks |
| Saturday, January 14 | 12.45 p.m./7.45 a.m. | Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Bromwich Albion | Sky Sports 1/NBCSN | Sky Go/NBC Sports App | Spurs |
| Saturday, January 14 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Burnley vs. Southampton | NBC Sports App | Draw | |
| Saturday, January 14 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Hull City vs. Bournemouth | NBC Sports App | Draw | |
| Saturday, January 14 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Sunderland vs. Stoke City | NBC Sports App | Draw | |
| Saturday, January 14 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Swansea City vs. Arsenal | NBC Sports App | Arsenal | |
| Saturday, January 14 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | Watford vs. Middlesbrough | NBC Sports App | Watford | |
| Saturday, January 14 | 3 p.m./10 a.m. | West Ham United vs. Crystal Palace | NBC Sports App | Draw | |
| Saturday, January 14 | 5.30 p.m./12.30 p.m. | Leicester City vs. Chelsea | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport App/NBC Sports App | Chelsea |
| Sunday, January 15 | 1.30 p.m./8.30 a.m. | Everton vs. Manchester City | Sky Sports 1 | Sky Go/NBC Sports App | City |
| Sunday, January 15 | 4 p.m./11 a.m. | Manchester United vs. Liverpool | Sky Sports 1 | Sky Go/NBC Sports App | United |
Here are the live stream links: Sky Go. NBC Sports App.
Manchester United vs. Liverpool
The week's marquee match is the obvious pick of the fixtures. United against Liverpool is the Premier League's Real Madrid against Barcelona, the ongoing tussle between a nation's two most successful clubs.
Both are bidding to stay relevant in the hunt for major trophies this season, although Liverpool are in the stronger position. The Reds will enter the week second in the table, just five points adrift of leaders Chelsea.
However, there have been signs of vulnerability from Jurgen Klopp's side in recent weeks. Liverpool slipped to a 2-2 draw at relegation candidates Sunderland last time out in the league. They followed the stalemate with a 1-0 defeat against Southampton in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
By contrast, United, who are also in the last four of the EFL Cup, are on a tremendous winning run. In fact, the Red Devils' 2-0 first-leg win over Hull City on Tuesday stretched that run to a mark United haven't reached since the 2008/09 season, according to Squawka Football:
However, manager Jose Mourinho has appeared far from satisfied. He was critical of both the performance of his players, along with the lack of atmosphere generated by the fans at Old Trafford, following the win over the Tigers, per the Guardian's Jamie Jackson.
Yet although many might, as Jackson contends, not respond well to Mourinho's critique, his words are actually a well-timed motivational ploy ahead of the visit of United's chief rivals.
It will be vital for Old Trafford to be rocking to help ratchet up the intensity and increase the pressure on a Liverpool side that appears primed to struggle in the coming months.
Klopp has issues up front, where both Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi have been inconsistent in the centre-forward role. It doesn't help when winger Sadio Mane is away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Mane's pace would have been a key weapon in breaking down the type of defensive rearguard Mourinho is likely to employ, even at home. Ideally, Klopp will be able to start Philippe Coutinho, who has recently returned from an ankle problem, and move Roberto Firmino back through the middle.
Klopp hailed the brief cameo Coutinho made as a substitute against the Saints, but the manager also noted how full fitness is still some way off, per Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo: "You can see immediately how important it is. Of course, he is not 100 per cent but it was important for him to have half an hour. He did well."
If Coutinho can't start, Firmino will likely begin on the left, a position where he's looked lost in recent matches.
United would surely have the impetus against a disjointed Liverpool attack. Still, Mourinho has suggested centre-back Marcos Rojo may miss out, according to Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News:
As for his own forward line, Mourinho will be anxious to put striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic back into the starting XI after illness ruled him out against Hull.
The good news for United is the manager expects his star goalgetter to play on Sunday, per Dawson:
United have been the more fluent going forward in recent matches, so expect Mourinho's men to have enough quality to edge a typically spicy encounter and damage Liverpool's title bid.
Swansea City vs. Arsenal
It's time Arsenal got their title charge back on track, yet it won't be easy against a Swansea side that's given the Gunners problems in the past.
Any team welcoming a new manager also usually plays up, at least initially. Clement has ample talent to work with, including playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson and centre-forward Fernando Llorente. The new manager explained how he's anxious to keep both players, per BT Sport.
At least Clement hasn't wasted time adding to what he has, not when the Swans have already confirmed a deal to sign winger Luciano Narsingh from PSV Eindhoven, according to the Press Association (h/t the Guardian).
As OptaJoe pointed out, Narsingh has established a niche as a provider:
Unfortunately for the Swans, their new boy is set to miss out with a possible calf problem, per the Guardian.
Clement will count on Swansea's existing talent in forward areas to exploit Arsenal's fragility in defence.
At least the Gunners will have centre-back Laurent Koscielny to count on. The Frenchman has signed a new contract, along with striker Olivier Giroud and holding midfielder Francis Coquelin, per the club's official site.
Koscielny is the key figure of the three, the closest the Gunners have to a genuine talisman at the back. He's become a master at breaking up attacks, per WhoScored.com:
Things should improve defensively with Koscielny back in the fold. However, manager Arsene Wenger still needs to get the balance right in attack.
Specifically, Wenger must choose between Alexis Sanchez or Giroud as his centre-forward of choice. Giroud's the man in form, but the Gunners play a quicker, more fluid game when Sanchez operates through the middle.
Arsenal must win to stay alive in a title race already looking like it's getting away from them.
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