The English Premier League throws up a blockbuster weekend as the spotlight falls on the second half of the season, with titanic tussles at the top and bottom of the EPL table.
Arsenal and Manchester United set out to rekindle their rivalry of old on Sunday afternoon, with both in buoyant mood at the summit of the standings.
Retired chiefs Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson will watch on with more than a little intrigue, as present-day leaders Mikel Arteta and Erik ten Hag go toe-to-toe at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are top of the table with a five-point cushion, a game in hand and a north London derby success last weekend in their back pocket, while the Red Devils have rocketed up to third with the Dutchman at the helm, despite their long winning run being curtailed by a midweek stalemate.
Liverpool’s top four charge, however, is in danger of sinking without trace alongside their Saturday lunchtime opponents Chelsea.
Both are listing badly in the choppy waters of mid table, with Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp sending out the distress flares with a morose press conference following back-to-back league defeats in which they conceded three goals on both occasions.
The Blues scraped a win to allow coach Graham Potter to keep the lifeboats on standby, but they remain tenth in the Premier League table, level on points with their Anfield hosts.
Pep Guardiola is plotting a course for the top of the standings if Arsenal slip up on Saturday.
His Manchester City turned round a two-goal deficit with a stirring second half comeback on Thursday night, giving them just the right momentum to take on Julen Lopetegui’s improving Wolves at the Etihad Stadium.
It was irate Antonio Conte’s Tottenham who passed up the opportunity for a remarkable win in the north west.
And it doesn’t get much easier on Monday night, as Spurs make the short hop across London to take on surprise package Fulham at Craven Cottage as both battle it out for a place in continental competition come the end of the campaign.
West Ham and Everton could well be holed below the waterline in their respective bids to avoid the humiliation of relegation to the Championship.
The sorry pair occupy two of the bottom three places ahead of their London Stadium six-pointer on Saturday, as ex-Toffees boss David Moyes pits his wits against one-time Hammers darling Frank Lampard in the opposing dugout.
Across the capital for the evening kick off are Newcastle, who could finish the weekend as high as third if they can plunder the Selhurst Park spoils against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace.
Bottom side Southampton, meanwhile, can haul themselves towards short-term safety if they can pinch a second win on the bounce as Aston Villa visit St Mary’s Stadium.
Sunday’s third match combines the starkly contrasting fortunes of Leeds and Brentford at Elland Road.
Jesse Marsch sees his home side start the weekend with just two points’ worth of breathing space above the drop zone, while the Bees have won three on the bounce to continue their incredible European charge.
Brighton go to Leicester on Saturday, with the Seagulls having the wind firmly in their sails and Europa League qualification on their minds as well.
And Bournemouth host Nottingham Forest, with the pair bobbing about amid the EPL’s flotsam and jetsam.
English Premier League predictions for 21 – 23 January
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team’s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing.
Liverpool v Chelsea
| Result prediction | Liverpool to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Liverpool / Liverpool to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | D. Nรบรฑez(Liverpool) |
AFC Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest
| Result prediction | Nottingham Forest to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | AFC Bournemouth / Nottingham Forest to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Leicester City v Brighton & Hove Albion
| Result prediction | Brighton & Hove Albion to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Brighton & Hove Albion to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | S. March(Brighton & Hove Albion) K. Mitoma(Brighton & Hove Albion) |
Southampton v Aston Villa
| Result prediction | Aston Villa to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Aston Villa / Aston Villa to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | J. Ward-Prowse(Southampton) D. Ings(Aston Villa) |
West Ham United v Everton
| Result prediction | draw |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / draw |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United
| Result prediction | Newcastle United to win |
| Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Newcastle United to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | n/a |
Leeds United v Brentford
| Result prediction | Brentford to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | Brentford / Brentford to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | Rodrigo(Leeds United) I. Toney(Brentford) |
Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers
| Result prediction | Manchester City to win |
| Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
| HT / FT prediction | draw / Manchester City to win |
| Team to Score prediction | both teams |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | R. Mahrez(Manchester City) E. Haaland(Manchester City) Daniel Podence(Wolverhampton Wanderers) |