 |
| Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal before the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brentford FC at Emirates Stadium on February 11, 2023 in London, England. |
Everton travel to Arsenal in the Premier League tonight as they face the monumental task of getting a result.
The Gunners sit two points clear at the top of the table and could stretch the gap to five points from Manchester City with a win.
Mikel Arteta’s side have made the Emirates Stadium a fortress this season and the challenge Everton face couldn’t be much more difficult.
The Toffees have taken six points from Sean Dyche’s opening four matches as manager – including a 1-0 defeat of Arsenal in his first game at Goodison Park. But Everton’s troubles on the road for the past two seasons are well-documented and it’s a reason why they’re yet again in a relegation scrap.
Certainly, the Toffees will be hoping for any advantage possible against the Gunners. And the home side could be without four players for the encounter.
Gabriel Jesus hasn’t featured since suffering a knee injury when representing Brazil at the World Cup. Mohamed Elneny is absent with a similar issue for a prolonged period.
Meanwhile, Emile Smith Rowe and January signing Jakub Kiwior both played for Arsenal under-21s in a 1-0 loss against Chelsea on Monday night. Arteta now has to weigh up whether the pair are fit enough and have made a full recovery to face Everton.
There is also doubt about Thomas Partey. The midfielder has not trained much ahead of the Blues’ visit.
Arteta said at his pre-match press conference: “He hasn’t trained much. He had a session and he will train today. It is what it is. He was out for a few weeks and he needs to get back into the rhythm.”
