Everton will be keen to atone for last weekend’s humbling by Manchester United when they travel to face an Arsenal side bursting with confidence.
The Gunners got their Champions League campaign back on track, causing a major boil-over on Tuesday night by condemning Bayern Munich to their first defeat of the season. Prior to that, they registered consecutive 3-0 victories against Watford and the Red Devils, and against Everton they will look to continue their recent purple patch of form.
Sitting in ninth position, the Toffee’s have been licking their wounds after a bitterly poor performance last time out. However, they are yet to lose on their travels so far this season, and will look to use that as inspiration as they seek to return to winning ways. The last time the Merseysiders took all three points from Arsenal was in 1996 at Highbury.
Key Battle – Alexis Sanchez vs Seamus Coleman
The Chilean has been in scintillating form, netting ten goals in his last seven games for both club and country, and will pose a huge threat to Seamus Coleman specifically, and the Everton defence more generally. The Irishman hasthe pace to go with Sanchez, but will need to be attentive to the threat the winger poses when cutting in and shooting with his venomous right foot.
Team News
The only blemish from Arsenal’s European heroics mid week was the hamstring injury sustained by midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who now looks set to be sidelined for a month. Defender Gabriel Paulista returns to the squad, and while Gunners boss Arsene Wenger expressed his concern over the potential burn out of Sanchez, it’s expected that he will take his place in the starting lineup.
Roberto Martinez will welcome back Belgium international Kevin Mirallas from suspension, while Tom Cleverley and Steven Pienaar both returned from injury via the Everton u21’s side. Both are in the mix to return to the match-day squad.
Head to Head
As mentioned previously, its been 19 years since Everton have won at Arsenal, and in recent times the Gunners have only lost one out of the past 16 meetings between the two clubs. The Toffee’s have travelled to the red half of North London 96 times, winning just 16 of those, with the home side victorious on 64 occasions. Arsenal have inflicted Everton to a record 91 league defeats. No team has beaten another more in the history of English league football.
Previous Meeting
The corresponding fixture last season saw the home side run out 2-0 victors with Olivier Giroud and Tomas Rosicky getting on the scoresheet. The two previous encounters at the Emirates saw the Toffee’s claim a share of the spoils.
Prediction
Buoyed by the their recent run of results, Arsenal will take some stopping this weekend, as they look to go top for 24 hours until Manchester City play the following day against rivals United. History shows the Toffee’s are up against it and will need to be at their resolute best if they are to blunt the Gunners attack. Being at the Emirates and on current form, you would expect the home side to collect all three points from this dual.
Arsenal 2 Everton 0
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