Premier League Week 23 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions

Arsenal need to beat Chelsea at home on Saturday if they're to claw back some momentum in their hunt for a top-four finish, with two of the Premier League's London elite set in each other's sights heading into Week 23.

Chelsea got the better of the Gunners at Stamford Bridge in August when Maurizio Sarri won his first Premier League clash against fellow English newcomer Unai Emery, whose side sit in fifth and are six points off the Blues.

Meanwhile, Liverpool can temporarily reclaim a seven-point lead at the top of the standings if they beat Crystal Palace at Anfield on Saturday.

Defending champions Manchester City travel to Huddersfield Town on Sunday to face a Terriers team without a permanent manager. The club announced David Wagner left the club by mutual consent on Monday.

Manchester United have won six in a row under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and will go in search of a seventh when they host Brighton & Hove Albion, eyeing revenge for their 3-2 defeat on the south coast earlier this season.

Week 23 Picks and Predictions

Saturday, January 19

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Leicester City, 12:30 p.m. GMT/7:30 a.m. ET

Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham United, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Liverpool 2-0 Crystal Palace, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Manchester United 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Newcastle United 1-0 Cardiff City, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Southampton 3-2 Everton, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Watford 2-0 Burnley, 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea, 5:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, January 20

Huddersfield Town 0-4 Manchester City, 1:30 p.m. GMT/8:30 a.m. ET

Fulham 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur, 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET

Preview

Both Arsenal and Chelsea may consider their Premier League title bids to be all but over, but the battle for UEFA Champions League qualification is still on and will hit a crucial juncture this Saturday.

Particularly for the Emirates hosts, who could fall as much as nine points off the pace between them and the top four unless they get a result at home to Sarri's side.

One absentee Arsenal star attracting attention is Mesut Ozil, who hasn't featured in the club's last three league games. Emery's men deservedly lost 1-0 to West Ham United on Saturday, after which the manager suggested Ozil has to earn his way into the team like any other player, via HaytersTV:

Seemingly not convinced by what he's seen of the German thus far, there's no certainty the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner will be involved against Chelsea, though his social-media activity suggested he wants to play:

Meanwhile, Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard is under the spotlight heading to the Emirates, and questions are afoot as to whether Sarri will field his greatest asset as a centre-forward for the London derby.

The Belgian failed to make any goal contribution in recent Premier League results against Crystal Palace (1-0) and Southampton (0-0), but an assist in Saturday's 2-1 win over Newcastle has him back in better form:

Neither manager has perfected their set-up of late, and Arsenal's defeat at West Ham saw them fail to score in a match for only the second time since Emery took over. That being said, Chelsea have been shy of goals of late, and so a low-scoring affair looks likely.

Week 23 presents another opportunity for Liverpool to establish some daylight at the summit, even if only temporarily before City have their chance to close the gap once more.

Liverpool writer Joel Rabinowitz shared some concerns over Trent Alexander-Arnold's injury setback, per BBC Sport, but illustrated how the club is equipped to deal with the right-back's absence:

Palace restricted the Reds to a 1-0 victory when these two teams last clashed on Merseyside in August 2017, though Klopp's side have since beaten the Eagles twice on their own turf and should be safe on Saturday. The Reds have become more defensively reliable after Virgil van Dijk has settled, keeping clean sheets in five of their last nine games.

It seems all too likely City will close the gap again, too, as they prepare to take on a Huddersfield team who are the antithesis of Pep Guardiola's squad in an attacking essence, per football writer Richard Jolly:

Former player and Huddersfield under-23 manager Mark Hudson has taken over in an interim capacity and will take charge of the team for Sunday's visit of the champions.

United are riding high on Sunday's narrow 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, and Solskjaer has another chance to prove his improvements upon predecessor Jose Mourinho's system when they host Brighton.

The Seagulls were worth their 3-2 win against the Red Devils at Falmer Stadium in August, but much has changed since then. Solskjaer's team have even brought some defensive stability to their game and kept clean sheets in their past three matches to go along with the 17 goals scored under the Norwegian.

Tottenham travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Sunday and could jump back up to third if Chelsea falter against the Gunners.