Arsenal vs. Everton
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Kick off: 4PM
Arsenal will attempt to maintain their positive momentum when they welcome Everton to the Emirates Stadium in this afternoon’s Premier League clash.
The Gunners have won four matches on the spin in all competitions and come up against a Toffees side winless in their last three top-flight outings.
Unai Emery was always confident that Arsenal would push on following their tough start to the campaign, having been given the toughest of early-season fixtures to begin this new era in North London.
Time was always going to be key when Emery was appointed, though, and having been given an extra month to instil his favoured style of play on his players, Arsenal are now in a far stronger position.
The 3-1 win over West Ham United was flattering, but a win by any means necessary was vital on that late August afternoon, and away triumphs at Cardiff City and Newcastle United have followed either side of the international break.
Cardiff and Newcastle may be struggling at the wrong end of the table, but those were exactly the type of fixtures the Gunners too often slipped up in on their travels in Arsene Wenger’s final campaign at the helm. It seems that they are made of tougher stuff under new boss Emery.
This current three-match winning run in the top flight extends to four matches when accounting for the 4-2 victory over Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League on Thursday night, as the Londoners – showing eight changes from the win at Newcastle – got their Group E campaign off to the perfect start.
Perfect in terms of three points being put on the board, at least, because Emery was not entirely convinced by his side’s performance, having conceded two goals in the closing stages of the game when they looked to be home and dry.
The biggest concern for Emery will be his side’s inability to keep a clean sheet, failing to do so in all six of their competitive matches since the Spaniard’s summer arrival. At the other end of the field 14 goals have been scored, so supporters will certainly get their money’s worth if the first month of this new era is anything to go by.
Mranwhile, Everton remain in desperate need of some momentum, having won back-to-back league games on just two occasions since last Christmas, and only then will Silva’s reign be truly up and running.
Arsenal possible XI: Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Monreal, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette.
Everton possible XI: Pickford, Kenny, Holgate, Zouma, Digne, Gueye, Schneiderlin, Walcott, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Tosun.