Everton at Arsenal: Match preview | Another tricky pre-Christmas test for the Blues

Everton travel south to face Arsenal on Saturday after an unscheduled ten-day break following the postponement of the Merseyside derby.

Whether or not this postponement works in Everton’s favor is up for debate, but I think most Toffees fans will agree that the rearranged game under the lights of Goodison is better than a 12:30pm BST kick-off.

The hope is also that the team will be in a very different place by then, perhaps with a new manager and/or new signings in January. But in the short term, Everton will have played a game less than their rivals, allowing them to increase the pressure at the bottom of the table.

This doesn’t make their celebratory run any less daunting. After Saturday’s game at the Emirates, Chelsea are title challengers before heading to out-of-form but still world-class Manchester City.

That made the 4-0 win over Wolves even more important, give everyone some breathing room. Despite not playing, Everton remained outside the drop zone after this weekend’s game and is likely to remain so at Christmas. It’s a low bar, but psychologically significant.

Hopefully the long-awaited takeover by Friedkin Group will be completed and provide further momentum after a chaotic few years. Reports on Friday suggest Premier League approval has been granted and final details will be announced next week.

Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between the two teams since the sad death of Kevin Campbell in June. There will be tributes before and during the game to a player who gave outstanding service to both sides but, more importantly, was a wonderful human being who was taken far too soon.

Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images

The opposition

After several years of steady progress under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal appear to have hit a stumbling block as they look to end their 20-year wait for a Premier League title.

After finishing second to back-to-back juggernauts Manchester City, the Gunners must have welcomed their dramatic loss of form. But the north London side had a bit of a slump of their own, going four games without a win in October and November. They bounced back with three wins in a row before a frustrating draw in their last game at Fulham left them six points behind leaders Liverpool.

That’s not bad form by any means, but it shows how high the standards have to be in this league.

They can at least take comfort from their excellent record against Everton ahead of the weekend. The Toffees have won just once at Arsenal since 1996, a 1-0 victory in the Covid era in 2021, and have won their last three meetings.

Previous meeting

Arsenal 2-1 Everton, May 19, 2024

Everton were unlucky not to pick up a point when the two teams met on the final day of the season last May. Idrissa Gueye’s deflected free-kick gave the Toffees the lead against the Gunners, who needed to win and hope City failed to clinch the title. Takehiro Tomiyasu equalized just before half-time and Kai Havertz scored the controversial late winner, which came despite a good handball call from Gabriel Jesus that went on the VAR screen but was disallowed by referee Michael Oliver.

Team news

Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images

The extended break has allowed some players to work on their fitness. Seamus Coleman, Armando Broja, Youssef Chermiti, Nathan Patterson and Jake O’Brien all played a game behind closed doors at Finch Farm this week.

Michael Keane has also recovered from a minor knee problem, but James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam remain out.

What they said

Everton manager Sean Dyche on his reputation for being strong from set pieces: “That doesn’t bother me. People just twist and turn situations to their liking. That’s life. I’ve always tried to find different ways to win no matter what group I’m working with.

“Sometimes there are certain clever tricks that catch people’s attention, but generally it’s all about execution and intent. This is something I have always preached strongly to the groups I have worked with. It’s not always about smart moves, just the simple basic premise of delivering a top player and attacking him. This is sometimes overlooked. But I know the box I live in – that’s how it is.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta: “As we all know, the club has been through very different phases in its history and recently they have had a very difficult period, but I love the way they come together, weather their storms and the way they Dealing with it is great.” Example. Again, what Sean (Dyche), the coaching staff and the players have done over the last few years with all the instability around the club, hopefully now with the new stadium and with new owners they can try to stay away from that and move on from ‘them “We haven’t lost the rules and the fighting spirit, the cohesion and the love for the club, whatever happens – they’re there.” That’s not easy and that’s what makes them very special. Hopefully this will help them and give them stability. The new stadium project also looks incredible, so there’s a lot to be excited about.”

Last word

I have to admit that expectations for this book are pretty low. I guess we might get a point, but most Toffees are just hoping the team doesn’t get into trouble. We then focus on what could be a significant week in the club’s history.