This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
Happy New Year! After a full slate of games on New Year's Day, the Premiership returns this weekend from a much-needed rest period following the chaotic holiday schedule.
2015 opened with a bang, as title favorites Chelsea were convincingly handed their second loss of the season at crosstown rivals Tottenham, who thumped Jose Mourinho's men to the tune of 5-3.
That result allowed Manchester City to draw level with Chelsea on points, but the Citizens only managed to do so with a shaky 3-2 home victory over Sunderland.
Still in third, Manchester United played out a 1-1 draw at Stoke City, while Southampton finished a resurgent festive run by beating Arsenal 2-0 at St. Mary's Stadium.
Conversely, West Ham went winless since Boxing Day, as the Hammers' 1-1 draw versus West Brom now sees Sam Allardyce's squad sitting in seventh.
The New Year brought all too familiar fortunes for Liverpool, as the Reds could only muster a 2-2 draw at Anfield versus last-place Leicester City last time out. Nonetheless, Brendan Rodgers' outfit have still lost just once in their past six league outings, so they'll be hopeful of putting a disappointing 2014 behind them.
Other draws took place between Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers (1-1), Newcastle and Burnley (3-3), and Aston Villa and Crystal Palace (0-0), while Hull City topped Everton 2-0 to prolong both teams' inconsistent play.
On the heels of those outcomes, as well as a round of FA Cup ties last weekend and a couple managerial changes in between, Gameweek 21 of the Premiership takes place with eight matches this Saturday and two set for Sunday.
Before previewing the pairings, it's worth noting that many African and Asian players have left their club teams to join their national teams ahead of this month's Africa Cup of Nations and AFC Asian Cup.
With that sorted out, this weekend's curtain raiser sees Liverpool visit Sunderland, where the Black Cats have failed to win their last six home matches in Premier League play.
Later on, Swansea will aim to take advantage of a home date against West Ham, as the Swans could pull even with the Hammers should they claim all three points.
Another top-half tie pits Newcastle at Chelsea, with the Blues not only reeling from defeat last time out, but also looking to avenge their first loss of the season, which came at Newcastle last month.
Everton hosting Manchester City marks a similarly interesting encounter, although the Toffees' troubling form this season certainly casts a shadow over the pairing.
Meanwhile, a couple of relegation-centric square-offs take stage Saturday, as 17th-place West Brom play 15th Hull City and Burnley (19th) welcome Queens Park Rangers (16th), with last-place Leicester awaiting a more advanced Aston Villa.
Saturday's slate closes with a London derby, as Crystal Palace prepare to face Tottenham at Selhurst Park under new manager Alan Pardew.
Come Sunday, Arsenal will be focused on revenge versus Stoke City, who handed the Gunners a 3-2 beating in their prior meeting, and Manchester United against Southampton will dictate who occupies third-place heading into next weekend.
With the table set and matchups considered, it's time to unveil the Best XI for Gameweek 21.
Formation: 3-4-3
Goalkeeper:
Hugo Lloris
v. 
Yes, Lloris and Tottenham's defense is fresh off conceding three goals, but that came versus Chelsea, the league's highest-scoring side. This weekend, Lloris is faced with a relatively easier task against Crystal Palace, although as Spurs' win in Gameweek 20 showed, a London derby can inspire surprising results. Nonetheless, Tottenham should carry a decent amount of confidence heading into Saturday's match, which will be Palace's first league outing under a new manager and one without valued midfielders Mile Jedinak (AFC Asian Cup) and Yannick Bolasie (Africa Cup of Nations). Additionally, the Eagles have failed to score in five of their past seven matches in the Premier League.
Defenders:
Out injured for a large chunk of the campaign, Debuchy has recently returned to reclaim the right back position Arsenal signed him this summer to occupy. In doing so, the feisty Frenchman has produced one goal and one assist through nine starts, but is still in search of his first clean sheet. However, given his and teammate Laurent Koscielny's respective returns to fitness, Arsenal's back unit finally has their first-choice defense available. Despite conceding three last time they played Stoke City, Debuchy and Arsenal can take pride in the fact that the Potters have scored merely three goals in their past six visits to the Emirates Stadium.
Another rebound performance will be on the mind of Ivanovic, who was part of a Chelsea defense that shipped five goals in the Blues' previous Premiership appearance. While the Serbian still offered an assist in that meltdown, this weekend's match against Newcastle appears far more favorable, as the manager-less Magpies' absentee list goes far beyond just their boss. In attack, the Toon will be without striker Papiss Cisse (Africa Cup of Nations) and could also miss Sammy Ameobi (knee), which plays well into Chelsea's league-best home defense that has allowed only three goals through nine efforts at Stamford Bridge this season. Furthermore, Chelsea have consecutive home clean sheets against Newcastle.
As opposed to his fellow Best XI defenders, Cresswell is stationed on the left side of West Ham's defense and has been a revelation since arriving at Upton Park. In fact, the former Ipswich man has skillfully supplied three assists this season and has also been trusted with some set-piece duties. This Saturday, Cresswell is matched against a Swansea City attack that will be without some of its most instrumental components, as Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony looks to have played his final game for the Swans amid a move to Manchester City, while midfielders Jonjo Shelvey (suspension) and Jefferson Montero (hamstring) are also out of the picture.
Midfielders:
Eden Hazard (C)
v. 
Few players enter this weekend on better form than Hazard, who boasts a goal or an assist in his past six total appearances for Chelsea. In league play, the Belgian has scored in consecutive games, bringing his season total to eight, which is best among "midfielders" not named Alexis Sanchez. Amazingly, Hazard has notched either a goal or an assist in every appearance he's made at Stamford Bridge since Oct. 5 versus Arsenal. That alone earns Hazard this week's Best XI captain's armband, but his prospects are also boosted knowing the status of Newcastle right-back Daryl Janmaat is in question due to a groin ailment.
David Silva
v. 
One who rivals Hazard in terms of form, Silva has found the back of the net in three of his past four Premiership games. That comes after an injury spell, making Silva's recent play even more impressive. The Spaniard has hit the ground running, which is a fantastic development for a Manchester City midfield that will be without Yaya Toure (Africa Cup of Nations) in the coming weeks. Additionally, the Citizens carry a banged-up strike force into this weekend's match at Everton. Fortunately yet somewhat uncharacteristically, Everton's defense has been shambolic at times this season, as only one team (QPR) has allowed more goals than Roberto Martinez's outfit. That certainly should benefit City's joint top-scoring team, with Silva pulling the strings in his patented No. 10 position.
Potentially the one to take the torch from Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard after this season, Sterling has blossomed into one of the Premier League's most exciting attackers since breaking through the Anfield ranks. The 20-year-old's eight combined goals (four) and assists (four) in league play lead Liverpool, who have recently opted for Sterling to play as a "false-9" in the absence of a reliable traditional center forward. Always dangerous, Sterling could star Saturday at a Sunderland side whose 11 goals allowed over their past six home matches ties for the most league-wide over that span. Contrasting form could also help Sterling's stock, as Sunderland have merely one win from their past 10 in the Premiership, and Liverpool are unbeaten in their past six across all competitions.
Like his on-field performances, Alexis has been a tireless presence in the Best XI this season, and rightly so. As discussed on numerous occasions, the Chilean's midfield eligibility in some leagues makes him a virtual must-own in those formats, given his 10 Premier League goals rank fourth in England and first for midfielders. What's more, Alexis sports a sensational 15 goals and seven assists in 24 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions. Despite the reasonable temptation, Alexis somehow doesn't seem to need a rest. In advance of Sunday's match versus Stoke City, only the reigning champions Manchester City have scored more goals than Arsenal over their past six Premiership outings – a run Alexis deserves plenty of credit for.
Forwards:
Along with Sterling, the 21-year-old Berahino represents one of England's brightest young talents looking into the future. To that point, the in-demand forward totes eight leagues goals in 16 starts heading into Saturday's match versus Hull City. Remarkably, Berahino scored half as many goals (four) in his debut under manager Tony Pulis in FA Cup play last weekend. Coming off such a showing, as well as a New Year's Day goal in the league, Berahino is gifted with a home matchup this Saturday against Hull City, who have regularly tinkered with a three-man defense this season. Although West Brom's home record is horrible this term, Berahino is a fine candidate to lift their spirits in a favorable Gameweek 21 matchup.
Diego Costa v.
With Man City striker Sergio Aguero (knee) sidelined recently, Costa has pulled even for the Premiership's goal lead by scoring in three of his past five matches. While the Brazilian-turned-Spaniard even scored on the road in Gameweek 20, it's no secret that Costa fares far better at home. In fact, with nine goals in nine top-flight ties at Stamford Bridge, Costa is virtually unstoppable at his new stomping ground. That success has unsurprisingly lifted Chelsea to at least two goals in every home match this season, while their opponents this weekend, Newcastle, have conceded eight goals over their past three league matches. Without a manager, as well as defensive-minded midfielder Cheick Tiote (Africa Cup of Nations), the Magpies will definitely have their hands full against Costa and Chelsea.
An awesome development, only Costa and Aguero have scored more goals this season than Austin, whose 12 scores through 18 appearances have accounted for nearly 55 percent of QPR's goals thus far. What makes Austin's exploits so great is that he's quite affordable in most fantasy formats, providing magnificently budget-friendly returns. The 25-year-old has scored 31 goals in 52 appearances since joining QPR last season, and this weekend he faces a Burnley team that dwells in 19th place on the table. Only three teams have allowed more goals this season than Burnley, whose top defender, Jason Shackell, carries a calf injury into this weekend's action.
Lloris
Debuchy – Ivanovic – Cresswell
Hazard (C) – Silva – Sterling – Alexis
Berahino – Costa - Austin
