Everton will play host to Arsenal this Saturday in their next Premier League match. With 30 rounds played, this one finds Everton 15th, separated from the drop zone by 14 points, while Arsenal are second. The Gunners trail Liverpool by 12 points and below is our prediction.
Everton put up a big fight in their Wednesday evening outing against Liverpool but could only leave Anfield with a 1-0 defeat. Having headed there seeking a return to winning ways, Everton came out worse, after drawing each of the earlier four matches.
The one area the Toffees have struggled in recent matches has been their defence. They have no clean sheet in the last seven league matches but scored in nine of 10.
Arsenal ticked the right boxes in their first match after the international break, beating Fulham 2-1. It wasn’t an easy outing even though the Gunners dominated large parts.
The unfortunate bit from the win though, were injuries to Jurrien Timber and Gabriel. This leaves them exposed defensively, with Takehiro Tomiyasu still out and Ben White not yet fully match-fit.
Ricardo Calafiori also recently joined the injuries’ list. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last four matches against Everton, which softens the blow. They drew the latest one 0-0 after three straight wins in this fixture. Here they’ll target a third straight win in the league.
In recent seasons, matches against Everton haven't been easy for Arsenal. It gets tougher when Everton are playing at home. As Arsenal have been struggling against teams playing a low block, this looks like another match they’ll have to dig deep.
The fact that they are missing key forwards and a number of defenders ruled out makes things tougher. Everton will look to take advantage but we still expect Arsenal to have enough in their tanks for this challenge. Our prediction for Everton v Arsenal is for Arsenal to win and both teams to score.