(Football news) Arsenal are currently 2 points ahead of Manchester City with a game in hand. They will now play that game in hand against Everton at the Emirates. After a run of 4 winless games, Arsenal recovered well with 2 hard fought away wins against Aston Villa and Leicester City. It is the crucial time of the season right now with important Premier League and Europa League fixtures coming up. Everton on the other hand are battling for survival. They are currently 18th on the table but there has been improvement under new manager Sean Dyche. About a month ago in Dyche’s first game in charge he defeated Arsenal but this time the match will be at the Emirates.

Gabriel Jesus has started training with the ball but he is still far from being fit while Mohamed Elneny is also out. Thomas Partey recovered from his injury as he came off the bench against Leicester and he should start this game. Mikel Arteta has to choose two of Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard to start in attack. Arsenal will like to get a dominant win after a run of hard fought fixtures. As for Everton Andros Townsend, James Garner and Nathan Patterson. Dominic Calvert-Lewin could return to the bench but the chances are very slim. A win here would be a massive result for Everton which could eventually help them avoid the drop.

Arsenal haven’t been at their best in the last 6 games. Everton will definitely fancy their chances especially because their style of play works really well against a team like Arsenal who adopts high pressing and plays out from the back. Arteta may want to rest a couple of his regular players to avoid injuries as the fixtures have started to come in hard and fast. The last thing Mikel Arteta wants right now is an injury to one of his key players. Especially after we saw the impact of the injury to Thomas Partey had on the balance of the team.

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