Premier League Week 23 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions
Chelsea's match with fourth-place Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday is the highlight of the midweek fixtures in the Premier League. The Blues could knock the struggling Reds out of the title race with a win.
Meanwhile, Manchester City can take advantage of any slip from Liverpool and return to the top four with a win over West Ham United on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Arsenal and Manchester United should enjoy relatively straightforward wins at home.
Here are the fixtures for the season's 23rd gameweek:
| Date | Time (GMT/ET) | Match | Pick | Prediction |
| Tuesday, January 31 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Arsenal vs. Watford | Arsenal | 3-1 |
| Tuesday, January 31 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace | Draw | 1-1 |
| Tuesday, January 31 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Burnley vs. Leicester City | Burnley | 1-0 |
| Tuesday, January 31 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Middlesbrough vs. West Bromwich Albion | West Brom | 0-1 |
| Tuesday, January 31 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Sunderland vs. Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham | 0-2 |
| Tuesday, January 31 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Swansea City vs. Southampton | Swansea | 2-1 |
| Tuesday, January 31 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Liverpool vs. Chelsea | Draw | 2-2 |
| Wednesday, February 1 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | West Ham United vs. Manchester City | City | 1-2 |
| Wednesday, February 1 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Manchester United vs. Hull City | United | 2-0 |
| Wednesday, February 1 | 8 p.m./3 p.m. | Stoke City vs. Everton | Everton | 0-1 |
Liverpool vs. Chelsea
Liverpool will be desperate to beat the leaders at Anfield. Not only do the Reds need three points to close the gap in the title race, but manager Jurgen Klopp's men have won just one game in January.
The sole victory was a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle in an FA Cup third-round replay. It came away from home, a reminder of how much Liverpool have been struggling at Anfield.
The Reds have suffered through some humiliating reversals on Merseyside in January. Southampton, Swansea City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all left Liverpool as winners recently.
Continuing defensive problems have been the biggest issue. It might help to have one of last season's standouts, centre-back Mamadou Sakho, in the side.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman has been at odds with his manager. Sakho recently indicated he's tried to put the problem behind him during an interview with French television show Canal Football Club (h/t Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo): "I paid my fine, I was sanctioned, I apologised to my team-mates and my manager. Aside from that...I do not want to go into the controversies."
During the same interview, Sakho also hinted that he might be open to a return to former club Paris Saint-Germain: "I think Olympique de Marseille have a very good team. Bafe [Gomis] and Pat [Evra] are friends of mine. But my answer to this might remind certain people about a song. When there is PSG, Sakho is with them."
Premier League side Southampton are keen to secure a deal for Sakho, according to John Richardson of the Sunday Mirror.
Sakho's quickness and strength would be assets to a Liverpool back line that has been bullied and outrun in recent matches.
However, there have also been problems up front. Chief among those issues has been the absence of winger Sadio Mane, who has been on international duty with Senegal at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Former Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard believes his old club has missed Mane's pace, telling BT Sport (h/t Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo): "It’s clear for everyone to see he’s a top player and [that] we’ve missed him so much. He comes with that pace and unpredictability. To stretch teams, you need to run in behind, and he does it for 90 minutes."
Liverpool are so desperate to have Mane return they plan to fly him back from the AFCON in a private jet, per ESPN FC's Glenn Price. Mane's ability to play on the shoulder of defenders will make a difference, but Liverpool will need more to slow Chelsea's title momentum.
Specifically, they'll need to keep the ball away from a side able to shift it quickly on the break. The Blues have been devastating on the counter this season.
Manager Antonio Conte can choose from Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian to help support star centre-forward Diego Costa. But Conte will likely be more concerned about finding ways to disrupt Liverpool's passing game in the middle.
Central-midfield duo Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante can both break up play, but Conte may be wiser to partner one of his destroyers with Cesc Fabregas. The Spanish playmaker's flair for launching accurate long passes over the top could help Chelsea beat the Liverpool press and expose a persistently shaky defence.
Chelsea are a good bet to score at Anfield given everyone has recently. However, it's do or die for Liverpool in the title race, so expect Klopp to rally his players for a timely and decisive performance.
West Ham United vs. Manchester City
City obliterated West Ham in the FA Cup earlier in January, winning 5-0 on their travels. The performance reminded everyone about the quality manager Pep Guardiola's men have when they boss the ball at their fluent best.
The Sky Blues have pace to burn in the final third thanks to wingers Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane. The latter has star potential, but this is a match in which midfield quality will make the difference.
City ooze class in the middle when David Silva and Yaya Toure are on form. But the biggest boost for City was captain Vincent Kompany's recent return to the team.
The oft-injured centre-back played in City's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and expressed his relief at finally getting fit to City's official website (h/t Gary Stonehouse of The Sun): "I'm by far the happiest footballer on earth."
Kompany's return can act as a major boost for the Citizens. He's the most accomplished defender in the squad when fit.
Guardiola needs his team to start keeping clean sheets in the Premier League. It won't be easy, though, even against a Hammers side that has just lost marquee player Dimitri Payet to Marseille, according to the French club's English-language Twitter account.
Not having Payet's flair in the final third will leave West Ham without the means to exploit any of City's vulnerabilities at the back. Instead, Guardiola's men will fashion enough chances to earn three precious points in the race for a top-four finish.
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