Liverpool have had a torrid time of it in 2017, getting knocked out of two cup competitions and falling off the pace in the English Premier League title race. All of that will be forgotten, though, if Jurgen Klopp's men pull off a victory over league leaders Chelsea as another mouth-watering round of action comes into play.
Also read: Manchester United vs Wigan FA Cup result
Of the ten fixtures in midweek, Liverpool vs Chelsea is the biggest one and the most important as far as the race for the title is concerned. Chelsea's lead at the top was increased to eight points after both Liverpool and Tottenham failed to pick up wins in the last round of fixtures, with Arsenal currently sitting in second.
To bring Chelsea closer to the rest of the title chasing pack, the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs need to beat the Blues when a clash against them comes calling, with the onus to do that this time around lying with Liverpool.
Here are all the ten fixtures for matchweek 23, with the time, date and venue:
Tuesday, January 31:
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace (7.45pm GMT, 2.45pm ET, 1.15am IST) at The Vitality Stadium:
Bournemouth have struggled a little of late in the Premier League and are winless in their last three matches. However, their home form has been strong this season and considering Crystal Palace are yet to win a Premier League game under Sam Allardyce – indeed, they haven't won a match in the EPL since December 3 – this is a match Eddie Howe will fancy getting three points from.
Burnley vs Leicester City (7.45pm GMT, 2.45pm ET, 1.15am IST) at Turf Moor:
They might have problems picking up points away, but at home, Burnley have been one of the best teams in the Premier League. With Leicester playing like a team staving off relegation rather than the Premier League champions, this will be another game that Burnley could three points from.
Sunderland vs Tottenham (7.45pm GMT, 2.45pm ET, 1.15am IST) at The Stadium of Light:
With Chelsea playing the way they are, every single match for a title contender at the moment is a must-win. So, nothing but three points will do for Spurs, who should have too much firepower for David Moyes' Sunderland.
Arsenal vs Watford (7.45pm GMT, 2.45pm ET, 1.15am IST) at The Emirates Stadium:
It was all about the Ws for Arsenal this weekend in the FA Cup, with Theo Walcott grabbing a hat-trick and Danny Welbeck scoring a couple of goals to go with an assist. Arsene Wenger was able to rest some of his players during the weekend, so with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Petr Cech returning to the starting XI, Wenger does have a lot of options. Wenger will be watching from the stands again, as he serves the second of his four-match touchline ban, but he will hope to see more of the fluid football that his team produced against Southampton on Saturday when Arsenal host Watford in this London derby.
Swansea City vs Southampton (7.45pm GMT, 2.45pm ET, 1.15am IST) at The Liberty Stadium:
The Paul Clement era found lift-off in the last fixture, when Swansea stunned Liverpool 3-2 at Anfield. If Swansea can keep that same cutting edge up front and tighten up a little bit more at the back, they might just fashion the great escape. Southampton, the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal notwithstanding, have found some form of late, so the home side will need to be at their best to pick up three points from this game.
Middlesbrough vs West Bromwich Albion (7.45pm GMT, 2.45pm ET, 1.15am IST) at The Riverside Stadium:
Two teams that have been criticised for playing boring football. So, expect a 4-4 thriller then.
Liverpool vs Chelsea (8pm GMT, 3pm ET, 1.30am IST) at Anfield:
Liverpool have lost three matches in a row at home, which is unheard of. Klopp has just made too many changes to his team, playing quite a few youngsters in cup games, which has also highlighted Liverpool's lack of strength in depth. While Klopp will name his strongest available XI for this match, there is a crisis of confidence amongst the Liverpool players at the moment.
There are no such problems for Chelsea, who have been purring along nicely, and if there is any team to take advantage of an opponent's weaknesses at the moment, it is the Blues. Liverpool need to find inspiration from somewhere, or else their season could pretty much end on Tuesday.
Wednesday, February 1:
West Ham United vs Manchester City (7.45pm GMT, 2.45pm ET, 1.15am IST) at The London Stadium:
The last time these two teams met, Manchester City thumped West Ham 5-0 in the FA Cup third round. City also beat the Hammers 3-1 in the reverse fixture in August. Having said that, though, West Ham are a team on the up, and having solved the Dimitri Payet situation, Slaven Bilic will want to move on into a new Payet-less era. A win over City, who need the three points to keep their slim title hopes alive, will be a nice start.
Manchester United vs Hull City (8pm GMT, 3pm ET, 1.30am IST) at Old Trafford:
Hull City were the winners the last time these two teams played each other, last Thursday in the EFL Cup semifinal second leg. Manchester United, though, won the tie on aggregate and they comfortably beat the Tigers in the first leg of that semifinal at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho will expect a similar result.
Stoke City vs Everton (8pm GMT, 3pm ET, 1.30am IST) at The bet365 Stadium:
Two teams that are not in a relegation battle or in the running for a top six place. It might be difficult to stay motivated in such a situation, but with both teams showing good recent form in the Premier League – Everton have won their last three, while Stoke are unbeaten in three straight EPL games – this could turn out to be an entertaining match.
