EPL Week 31 Predictions: Premier League Picks, Key Players and Fixture Info

A titanic encounter between Arsenal and Liverpool headlines the Premier League schedule in Week 31 of the 2014-15 campaign, with both teams looking to get an edge in the race for a top-four finish.

After a week of international action, English football will turn the spotlight back on the domestic game as the top flight prepares to enter its most frantic phase.

Manchester United will be looking to move past Aston Villa and solidify their top-four status, while Chelsea meet Stoke City at Stamford Bridge seeking to extend their lead at the summit.

We provide all the essential details for this weekend's fixtures, along with discussions of which players are worthy of some extra attention going into the end-of-season run-in.

Players to Watch

Raheem Sterling

With Daniel Sturridge looking set to once again be on the sidelines, this time with a hip injury, Liverpool will be forced to look for other inspiration in attack against the Gunners, and all eyes will be on Raheem Sterling.

The Reds winger was forced to withdraw from the England squad with a toe concern, but Sterling is quoted by Goal's Greg Lea as stating he hopes to be fit for this weekend:

"It had been pre-agreed with the FA and obviously my club to get an injection after the game. I will receive some treatment back at the club and go from there. I will get this injection now and see how it goes in the next few days. Hopefully I will be okay for the Arsenal game."

Sterling has been deployed up front already this season during Sturridge's previous injury absence, but regardless of where he lines up on Saturday, he'll shoulder a great burden for Brendan Rodgers' side.

Jamie McLaughlin writes for Metro that Sturridge missing could actually be a blessing in disguise for Sterling, who could surge to increased prominence without his England team-mate in play:

Arsenal are currently on a six-match winning streak and have conceded just three goals since suffering a shock defeat to Monaco in February, presenting a difficult task for the Reds to overcome.

Whether fielded out wide or more centrally in attack, Sterling will be essential to the Liverpool cause should he feature at Anfield, once again looking to step up as a leading presence for the Merseysiders.

Fabian Delph

Another England international who was in action during the break, Fabian Delph has an important week ahead as Aston Villa face two fixtures in the space of three days.

The Villans will take on Manchester United this Saturday before hosting Queens Park Rangers the following Tuesday, with Martin Laurence of WhoScored.com noting just how prominently Delph has figured for the team this term:

Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson has rewarded Delph for his consistent form at Villa Park this term, and despite the club being threatened by relegation, he is a revered leader of Tim Sherwood's lineup.

The engine-room technician has earned the praise of former England midfielder and team-mate Joe Cole too, who hailed Delph's progress, speaking to Emily Liles of the official Aston Villa website recently:

Delphy's got so many attributes and so much quality. I firmly believe he'll become a regular for England and go to win 50 or 60 caps. I'm always telling him what a good player I think he is and I don't lie. He's a top player and he's developing all the way through the season.

You have to remember he's 25 but as he's had such bad injuries for a young man, you've got to look at him as a 23-year-old in terms of his development because he missed a couple of years. I'd imagine he'll go up another couple of levels in the next few years and he'll become one of England's top midfielders.

The visit to Louis van Gaal's Manchester United clearly sticks out as the more daunting test for Villa on Saturday, where the midfield struggle will be of extreme importance.

Delph may find himself tasked with attempting to limit the influence of an in-form Juan Mata while thrusting his team forward whenever possible, but Villa require a banded front to emerge victorious.

Steven Fletcher

Fresh off scoring Scotland's first hat-trick for 46 years, Steven Fletcher is looking to take his international form into Sunderland's derby fixture with Newcastle United on Sunday.

Per Eurosport, Fletcher's three-goal haul against Gibraltar on Sunday broke a significant drought for the Scots, but it's been almost five months since the forward last bagged a Premier League goal:

Before his display on Sunday, Fletcher hadn't scored an international goal for six years and will hope to make this a week of ending scoring droughts.

Fletcher spoke to Sky Sports after Sunday's game, taking in a stellar day's work as he walked away with the match ball in hand:

Dick Advocaat is seeking his first win as manager of the Black Cats, and having found his feet against Gibraltar, Fletcher will be raising his hand to lead Sunderland's line against their bitter rivals.

Newcastle, meanwhile, will hope to ensure Sunderland's attack is quelled, as has been the case in many fixtures this year. The Wearsiders have scored just 23 goals this term—the second-worst scoring rate of any side in the top tier.