It’s crunch time in lunch time as Everton battle Arsenal in an encounter for a renewed hope for the Evertonians and an hopeful continuation of dominance for the Gunners.
Sean Dyche would be coming into this game hoping that he can turn the Toffees cataclysmic season around towards a gloriously electric one.
But that won’t come easy as the League leaders, Arsenal sit 35 points adrift of their next opposition with Everton sitting disastrously on 18th on the Premier League log.
If Mikel Arteta’s side do get a victory against the Toffees, they would go eight (8) points clear of second placed Manchester City on the Premier League table.
But for the Evertonians, a monstrous win over the Gunners means that they would move out of the relegation zone pending the time others play in their encounters.
The hierarchy of Everton must have weighed up their managerial options critically before opting for Sean Dyche who is an Ultra-defensive manager.
Jarrod Bowen scored a brace which gave David Moyes’s boys the victory and ultimately fired the last salvo which caused the ouster of Frank Lampard from the Merseyside based club.
The mood around the Goodison Park isn’t as ignited and lighted up as it should be partly due to their abysmal season in addition to them loosing start attacker, Anthony Gordon.
They also didn’t do any business in the January transfer window as regards incomings.
Sean Dyche has a lot of tasks ahead of him with the Toffes, with the first one being trying to get them out of the murky waters of a disastrous run.
Everton’s abysmal league run
A disastrous run that has seen them go winless in their last ten games since they defeated Crystal Palace 3-0 at the Goodison Park on the 22nd of October in 2022, is likely to continue against in-form Arsenal.
Note that Everton have a poor record at the Goodison Park, but they would be hoping to turn up in style when they battle Arsenal, who have also had it tough against the Evertonians in recent years.
Arsenal’s last footballing battle
In their last match, Arsenal encountered defeat to Manchester City. Nathaniel Ake’s goal was the decider in an evening that saw Lisandro Trossard also put out his artistry.
A lot of Arsenal faithfuls accommodated the loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup handsomely as many said it gives them enough time to concentrate on the UEFA Europa League and the Premier League.
The Gunners so far have only lost one game in the English Premier League against Manchester United, an encounter that they got their pound of flesh in the second leg of this tie played a few weeks ago.
The men from North London have also had a monstrous form away from home as they have won six out of their last seven away games .
In the reverse fixture of this game, Arsenal smashed Everton by 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium but in the last two visits to the Goodison Park, they have not picked up any point.
And the stars may possibly be aligning towards a new manager bounce for the Toffees under Sean Dyche.
Head to Head
Both sides have met each other twenty-seven (27) times previously with the Gunners winning sixteen (16) with the game ending in a draw on five (5) occasions while the Toffes have only won six (6) times.
The former Burnley gaffer would be without the services of Andros Townsend and Nathan Patterson for his first time in the war-fest, James Garner is also injured with an issue to his back.
Sean Dyche will enjoy the beauty of a reunion with both James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil but the mantle of scoring the goals would be placed on Dominic Calvert Lewin.
Arsenal would be without the services of Egyptian Mohammed Elneny who would be out for a long period of time but Jorginho Frello Filho would be available and in line to make his debut for the Gunners.
Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe are still out injured but Reiss Nelson is back in training following an injury to his thigh.
The Probable line up for Everton against Arsenal:
Jordan Pickford, Seamus Coleman, James Tarkowski, Conor Coady, Vitalii Mykolenko, Alexander Iwobi, Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana, Dwight McNeil, Demarai Gray, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The Probable line for Arsenal against Everton:
Aron Ramsdale, Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Meghales, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah.
Predictions:
Everton would be banking on the tactical ingenuity of Sean Dyche but the Gunners should be too strong for the Toffes so we say Arsenal to win but by a slim margin. Everton 1-2 Arsenal
