Everton vs Arsenal: 11 things you need to know ahead of the crunch Premier League clash
The Gunners are in desperate need of a win to re-ignite their fading title hopes following their FA Cup and Champions League exits
After being dumped out of the FA Cup and Champions League this week, it's fair to say Arsene Wenger is in desperate need of a win this weekend.
But Arsenal face a tricky trip to Goodison Park on Saturday, as they look to reignite their floundering Premier League hopes against Roberto Martinez's unpredictableEverton side.
The Gunners now sit 11 points behind leaders Leicester, although they do have a game in hand.
Everton's stop-start season sees them currently sit in a disappointing 12th place, but they were boosted last weekend when they saw off Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
An enthralling match is in store, so here's everything you need to know ahead of this weekend's clash.
1. When is the match and where can I see it?
The match will kick off at 12.45pm, with the game being broadcast live on BT Sport 1.
Mirror Football will be running a LIVE blog so you can keep up with proceedings if you can't get near a television.
2. Team news
Everton: The hosts could again be without Bryan Oviedo, who has been out with a chest infection, but Muhamed Besic is eyeing a first start since January as he returns to full fitness.
Gareth Barry and Kevin Mirallas are both suspended.
Arsenal: Mathieu Flamini is the latest name to be added to a lengthy injury list in midfield. He joins Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech is also out.
3. Predicted sides
- Everton: Robles, Coleman, Jagielka, Funes Mori, Baines, McCarthy, Besic, Lennon, Barkley, Cleverley, Lukaku
- Arsenal: Opsina, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscienlny, Monreal, Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott, Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck
4. Reasons for Everton fans to be optimistic
- Red hot Romelu Lukaku has netted six goals in his last six matches
- Everton are unbeaten against Arsenal at home in the Premier League on the last three times they've met
- Arsenal have leaked in seven goals in their last three games
5. Reasons for Arsenal fans to be optimistic
- Everton have only won once in their last eight Premier League games at Goodison Park
- The Toffees have only kept two clean sheets at home - and they were against the bottom two, Newcastle and Aston Villa
- Arsenal have an excellent recent record against Everton in the league, having lost only once in their 17 meetings
6. Last 5 meetings
- Arsenal 2-1 Everton (Premier League, 2015-16)
- Arsenal 2-0 Everton (Premier League, 2014-15)
- Everton 2-2 Arsenal (Premier League, 2014-15)
- Everton 3-0 Arsenal (Premier League, 2013-14)
- Arsenal 4-1 Everton (FA Cup, 2013-14)
7. Recent form
Everton - Last 5 games- Everton 2-0 Chelsea (FA Cup)
- Everton 2-3 Wesr Ham (Premier League)
- Aston Villa 1-3 Everton (Premier League)
- Bournemouth 0-2 Everton (FA Cup)
- Everton 0-1 West Brom (Premier League)
- Arsenal - Last 5 games
- Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal (Champions League)
- Arsenal 1-2 Watford (FA Cup)
- Hull 0-4 Arsenal (FA Cup)
- Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal (Premier League)
- Arsenal 1-2 Swansea (Premier League)
8. Everton's key man
After netting six goals in the last six games, Romelu Lukaku is showing exactly what he is capable of.The young Belgian netted his first ever goals against his former club Chelsea last weekend and did so in style, as the Toffees booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.With Arsenal's defence looking shaky in recent weeks as Petr Cech recovers from the hamstring injury he picked up going up for a corner against Swansea, Lukaku will be eyeing another big day.9. Arsenal's key man
It's no coincidence that Arsenal's recent downturn has coincided with a drop off in Mesut Ozil's production.The German was in sensational form earlier this season, notching up assist after assist, but only two of his 18 for the season have come in the Gunners' last nine games.If Arsenal are to get out of their current funk, Ozil must come to the fore and getback to making the bullets for the Gunners frontline.10. Betting odds
Everton win: 33/20Draw: 13/5Arsenal win: 5/3Odds collected from UnibetRead more: This weekend's Premier League predictions11. Quote corner
Roberto Martinez: "Arsenal, with the experience that they have, the know-how, the clarity and the way they play football - it doesn't matter what pressure is on them they will always play with a certain style and be very, very good in that style."I just feel Arsenal are still strong title contenders and that's what we're going to be facing at Goodison."Arsene Wenger: "At the moment, the only way to achieve something special is first to be realistic and humble enough to deal first with Everton."It's very tight, but I believe the Premier League is far from over. We are in a position where we hope for the best."I agree that a negative result would be very bad for us, but we focus on a positive result. We know now is the time for us to produce the result we want."
Everton look to pile further misery on Arsenal, when the sides meet at Goodison Park for their Premier League fixture on Saturday afternoon.
Everton are coming on the back on a solid 2-0 win over Chelsea in their FA Cup quarter finals and the team players will be very motivated when they host the North London side.
Arsenal seems to be in all sorts of trouble in the recent weeks after exits from FA Cup and UEFA Champions league and their title quest could end if they fail to win this match. Also there is substantial risk of falling out from their usual fourth placed finish as West Ham and Manchester United are at touching distance.
Form Guide
Everton have done fairly well in domestic cup competitions this season, but the same can’t be said about their league form. Currently 12th in the league after 28 matches played, they have lost in 3 of their last six matches. Especially their home form is poor and registered just one win in their last 8 league matches at Goodison Park, with 5 of them ending in defeats.
Arsenal have won just once in their last eight matches in all competitions, the win was against Hull City in the FA cup replay. In Premier League, they have lost their last three matches and have conceded 2 or more goals in all of them. In their away fixtures, Arsenal have just one win in last six, with 3 draws and 2 wins.
Everton: Team News
Tony Hibbert and Browning are out injured for the rest of the season while Tom Cleverley has recovered from his illness.
Gareth Barry is suspended following his sending off against West Ham in their last league fixture, while Bryan Oviedo is struggling for fitness.
Everton head-coach Roberto Martinez is expected to field a similar starting line-up he used in the 2-0 win over Chelsea last weekend.
Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1):
Robles – Baines, Coleman, Mori, Jagielka – Besic, McCarthy – Cleverley, Barkley, Lennon – Lukaku.
Arsenal: Team News
Mathieu Flamini is the latest causality for Arsene Wenger after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 3-1 defeat at Barcelona. He now joins the long list of injuries that include Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Rosicky, Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere.
Alex Iwobi who had a good match against Barcelona is pushing for a start and it would be interesting to see if he gets the nod ahead of Walcott and Joel Campbell.
Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1):
Ospina – Bellerin, Monreal, Mertersacker, Koscienly – Elneny, Coquelin – Sanchez, Walcott, Ozil – Welbeck.
Everton vs Arsenal: Head-to-Head Comparison
Everton hold a poor record against Arsenal and have only won once in their last 17 English Premier League Matches. The Everton win came at Goodison Park on April 2014 by a 3-0 scoreline, since then there has been a draw which was followed by two back-to-back wins for Arsenal.
Everton vs Arsenal: Prediction
Arsenal have traditionally a strong record against Everton. But the Gunners are on a terrible run of form and there is much pressure on both manager Arsenal Wenger and the highly rated players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
At the same time, Everton are very unpredictable and their last win against Chelsea is a typical example. But their home form in the league could work against them and Arsenal will be well on the track to put an end to their bad run and give some momentum to their title bid.
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