This article is part of our FPL Best XI series.
Last weekend's installment of the Premier League was headlined by the top-heavy tussle between leaders Chelsea and second-place Manchester City. However, with both teams looking to avoid a loss, a rather uneventful 1-1 draw ensued at Stamford Bridge.
No Best XI selections came from that match, but let's review the remaining results from Gameweek 23 while highlighting how last week's team performed along the way.
Saturday's 3-1 win by Manchester United over Leicester featured a trio of Best XI choices, although none of goalkeeper David de Gea, midfield man Angel Di Maria, nor captain forward Wayne Rooney contributed much outside of minutes played.
On the bright side, Arsenal's 5-0 Sunday shellacking of Aston Villa saw midfielders Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott combine for two goals and two assists, while defender Laurent Koscielny secured a clean sheet for his efforts as well.
Also clinching a clean sheet was Arsenal's North London rivals Tottenham, whose strong recent form continued with a 3-0 win at West Brom. In doing so, Spurs' defender Jan Vertonghen paid dividends for the Best XI.
Elsewhere, another 3-0 outcome came at the KC Stadium, where Hull City's horrid season got worse by losing to Newcastle in Saturday's early showcase.
Overall, seven of last weekend's 10 matches resulted in a clean sheet, as Everton (1-0 at Crystal Palace), Sunderland (2-0 over Burnley), Swansea City (1-0 at Southampton), and Liverpool (2-0 over West Ham) all joined the previously noted teams in holding their opponents scoreless.
From those fixtures, Liverpool jumped West Ham into seventh-place in the standings, while Burnley's loss put them on the fringe of relegation, and striker Danny Ings provided little for the Best XI.
Similarly, more fantasy misfires came with defender Nathaniel Clyne, midfielder Dusan Tadic and striker Graziano Pelle all faltering as Southampton dropped to fourth-place on the table.
If there was one shining star last weekend, it was Stoke City's Jonathan Walters, who bagged the first ever hat-trick in his club's Premier League history during Stoke's 3-1 victory of Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
The potential for more fireworks is certainly there this weekend, as Saturday's slate kicks off with the North London derby of Arsenal at Tottenham from White Hart Lane.
Following that clash, a few other top teams face relatively weaker opposition, as Chelsea heads to Aston Villa, Manchester City hosts Hull City, and Southampton visits Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Swansea City will welcome Sunderland with both teams coming off wins last weekend, and last-place Leicester City will desperately seek three points at home versus unlucky 13th Crystal Palace.
After that action, Saturday's schedule is book-ended by another epic encounter, as Liverpool goes to Goodison Park to play Everton in the Merseyside derby.
Come Sunday, Burnley and West Brom's early outing should tilt the bottom of the table, while Newcastle awaits Stoke City in a mid-table tie that also pits two points between the teams.
Closing the competitive contests to come is Manchester United at West Ham, where European aspirations will surely fuel both sides toward their respective goals.
On the whole, Gameweek 24 could prove quite more eventful than week's past, setting the stage for a potential rebound performance from the Best XI.
Goalkeeper:
At the moment, Chelsea's home defense easily ranks best league-wide. However, their road record of 16 goals allowed through 12 matches flutters around mid-table in that category. Nonetheless, this weekend's game at Aston Villa represents a fantastic opportunity for Courtois and Chelsea to improve that standing, as the Villains have remarkably failed to score from six straight Premier League matches. To put that into perspective, Paul Lambert's team hasn't found the scoresheet in league play since before Christmas. That makes Courtois, the anchor of the Premiership's second-best overall defense, a no-brainer selection at goalkeeper this weekend.
Defenders:
While boasting all the same matchup benefits as Courtois against Aston Villa's anemic attack, Ivanovic also offers plenty of bonus potential going forward. That's because the Serbian's combined goals and assists total of six (two goals, four assists) ties for second among defenders this season. Furthermore, Ivanovic has supplied an assist in both of Chelsea's past two road league outings and totes an awesome return of three goals from his last six games against Villa. He also helped the Blues blank the Villains back in September.
In wake of an embarrassing 5-0 home defeat to Southampton in Gameweek 22, all Swansea City did was go to Southampton and pitch a clean sheet victory in their subsequent outing. That surprisingly-impressive result included a man of the match performance from Williams, who made two heroic goal-line clearances along the way. This weekend, Williams could find the sledding far less trying, as his Swansea side welcomes a Sunderland outfit that has never won a match on their Welsh counterparts' turf. The Black Cats have also gone scoreless in three of their past four meetings with the Swans.
After sitting out last weekend's match for the more defensively-inclined Bacary Sagna, Zabaleta figures to return to Manchester City's first-team setup for this weekend's game versus Hull City. Should that transpire, Zabaleta would go against a Tigers team that has gone three consecutive matches without scoring a goal. In fact, only Aston Villa has scored fewer goals than Steve Bruce's side this season. Furthermore, Zabaleta provided a pair of assists in Man City's win over Hull earlier this season.
Midfielders:
Eden Hazard
v. 
The architect of Chelsea's lone goal last weekend versus Man City, Hazard's brilliance in the final third becomes more important with top striker Diego Costa still suspended and fellow midfielder Cesc Fabregas nursing a hamstring ailment. Suddenly, the league's most accomplished attack lacks a bit of firepower. However, Chelsea's high of 27 road goals offers confidence ahead of Saturday's match at Aston Villa. The Villains are also fresh off shipping five goals last weekend, which gives Hazard a decent chance of adding to his total of eight goals, which rank third among all midfielders thus far.
Currently enjoying a magical run of form, Cazorla has produced six goals and four assists over his past nine Premiership showings. In doing so, the skillful Spaniard has helped Arsenal score more goals than any other team over that stretch. With the Gunners firing on all cylinders, Cazorla could continue as catalyst Saturday against Tottenham. In six matches versus the teams currently ahead of them, Spurs have allowed just about two goals per game. Meanwhile, Arsenal has scored at least two goals in all but one league match since Gameweek 15.
David Silva
v. 
Joining Zabaleta as a Manchester City player in this week's team, Silva provided the other two assists during City's 4-2 win over Hull in September. The Spaniard also scored against the Tigers last season, not to mention last weekend's tap-in goal against Chelsea. That latest score brought Silva level with fellow midfielder Yaya Toure for second-place on City with seven goals this season. However, with Toure still away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Silva should be featured even more than usual Saturday.
By scoring during Liverpool's mid-week FA Cup advancement, Sterling helped the Reds continue a magnificent span of just two losses across all competitions since Thanksgiving. That prolonged run should give Brendan Rodgers' men a positive outlook going into Saturday's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, where Everton's defense has struggled this season. To that point, only one team (West Brom) has allowed more home goals than the Toffees this season. Meanwhile, six of Sterling's team-high nine total goals this term have come on the road, and the youngster has also scored in three of his past four competitive outings.
Forwards:
Sergio Aguero (C) v.
Last time Manchester City played Hull City, they set their season-high with four league goals. While Aguero scored in that road triumph, this weekend the Citizens face the Tigers at home. That bodes especially well for Aguero, as he's scored 10 goals in 13 total appearances at the Etihad Stadium this season. Overall, Aguero is averaging 1.15 non-penalty goals plus assists per 90 minutes – the highest mark league-wide. With gaudy stats and an outstanding matchup on the horizon, Aguero earns the Best XI captain's armband for Gameweek 24.
By scoring his team's opener last weekend, Giroud netted his seventh league goal despite starting just eight domestic games so far this season. That stellar scoring record, along with Giroud's four goals and two assists over his past seven total outings, should earn the Frenchman another start ahead of Saturday's North London derby. In highly anticipated matches this season, Giroud has quieted critics by scoring against Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool. He's also registered two goals in four career matches against Tottenham, which looks good in advance of what should be an attack-minded affair this weekend.
A forgotten man to this point in the season, Sturridge returned from a miserable five-month injury spell to score as a substitute at West Ham last weekend. The Englishman also scored in Liverpool's season-opener back in August, giving him two goals through merely four total Premiership appearances. Those figures obviously pale in comparison to the wonderful 21 goals and seven assists he recorded through a mostly healthy league campaign last year, but the point remains that when fit Sturridge has proven plenty potent. That's the case ahead of Saturday's Merseyside derby, when Sturridge could spearhead a Liverpool attack that has scored at least two goals in three straight trips to Goodison Park.
