Premiership: Arsenal V Everton – Tuesday, 1st February

 

Arsenal V Everton

Tuesday, 1st February – 19:45 (GMT)
Venue: Emirates Stadium

 

Arsenal

Barely 48 hours after dumping Huddersfield Town out of the FA Cup, Arsenal will prepare for their third game in less than a week when they entertain an Everton side who caused them plenty of problems in the corresponding fixture last term. The Gunners dropped two costly points when the pair played out a thoroughly entertaining 2-2 draw last season and a similar result would be similarly costly for Arsene Wenger and his side’s bid for that elusive Premier League crown, as the club seek to arrest a seven-year drought without England’s top prize.

On the topic of droughts, supporters have gone nearly six years without even winning any silverware, so progress in the FA Cup will have delighted fans in a week which has seen the Gunners make some considerable progress in their bid to stop the rot. Just last week, Arsenal came from behind on aggregate to sail through to the final of the Carling Cup following a 3-1 aggregate victory over Ipswich Town while they left it late once again before extending their run in the world’s oldest domestic knock-out cup competition, the FA Cup. However, the latter wasn’t anywhere as convincing as the former, the Gunners coming from behind, down to ten men as well, before finally sewing up progression courtesy of another late Cesc Fabregas penalty as Arsenal recorded a nervy 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town of League Two.

It wasn’t just the sub-par performance which will have left Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger bemused, the sight of Samir Nasri limping off with a hamstring injury will have had the Frenchman pulling his hair out. Arsenal not only face a difficult encounter with Everton in the league on Tuesday but also a crunch Champions League first leg clash with arguably the in-form team in Europe right now in Barcelona in just over two weeks time. Fortunately, because Wenger made wholesale changes at the weekend, he didn’t collect any more unwanted injuries, though, more importantly, he will also have a fresher set of players at his disposal for Tuesday’s clash – Cesc Fabregas played the last 20 minutes, Alex Song 45, however Jack Wilshere, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna, Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie were all rested and bursting at the seam to maintain Arsenal’s imperious run of form which has seen them win their last six matches in all competitions.

Considering Everton fielded their strongest XI at the weekend, Arsenal look an overwhelming bet on paper. Many of their key players didn’t even feature at the weekend, those that did were used sparingly, while the fact Arsenal have gone a little over 15-years without losing to the Toffees in the Premier League just adds to their appeal. It isn’t even as though the Gunners have been struggling in front of goal either, particularly when Wenger names his strongest side – Arsenal having scored exactly 3 goals in four of their last five matches, all four were when the Arsenal boss named his best eleven. Oh, and did we forget to mention that the North Londoners have gone a little over six hours without conceding a goal in the Barclay’s Premier League.

 

Everton

Despite the club still finding themselves in the midst of a battle for survival, David Moyes was made to look a redundant figure in the January transfer window as Everton failed to bolster their ranks with any winter reinforcements. You would have thought a number of disconcerting factors would have almost forced the club to take drastic action, however Moyes and the club clearly feel that what is left at the Scot’s disposal is good enough to maintain the club’s status as a Premiership club although that isn’t anywhere near good enough for its supporters, who feel the club should be aiming for European qualification at the minimum.

Just five points clear of the dreaded relegation zone, Everton are by no means out of the woods despite losing just one of their last eight games in the league. Even impressive victories over Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur haven’t been able to lift a team which still posses a hefty amount of potential – The Toffees winning just two Premiership fixtures in the last three months. Resilient and courageous may be, clinical and decisive they are most definitely not.

Even though David Moyes’ charges can rarely be relied upon these days to bring home the bacon in the straightforward scenarios – four of Everton’s five wins in the league this season have come against the odds, the one thing you can bank on more times than not is Everton turning up on the big occasion and putting in a shift. Just one of their sixth defeats came against one of the recognised elite clubs of the division, and ironically that team was Arsenal. Their record overall, though, considering where they are in the table, is almost second to none having collected four points from meetings with Liverpool and Tottenham this season, as well as respectable draws with Chelsea and Man Utd. And while they were beaten by the Gunners earlier in the season at Goodison Park, the Toffees will take a lot of heart from their spirited display at the Emirates last season, when Everton went within minutes of a famous 2-1 victory on Arsenal turf only to be denied by a stoppage time equaliser from Tomas Rosicky.

Everton further enhanced their credentials of being a ‘big game’ team by holding the defending FA Cup champions Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Goodison on Saturday. Louis Saha also handed his feeble confidence a welcome boost by scoring Everton’s only goal of the game, although David Moyes will be a disgruntled manager after once again watching his defence failing to keep a clean sheet for the eight match in succession, as a shut-out would have confirmed their place in the last-sixteen. Nevertheless, another hugely impressive results accompanied by a similarly encouraging performance both of which should be the ideal platform for the Toffees as they head down to London aiming to end a barren run of fourteen visits to Arsenal in the league without winning.

 

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Last 5 Results

Arsenal

FA Cup: Arsenal 2-1 Huddersfield Town
Carling Cup: Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich Town
Premiership: Arsenal 3-0 Wigan Athletic
Premiership: Leeds United 1-3 Arsenal
Premiership: West Ham United 0-3 Arsenal

Everton

FA Cup: Everton 1-1 Chelsea
Premiership: Everton 2-2 West Ham United
Premiership: Liverpool 2-2 Everton
FA Cup: Scunthorpe United 1-5 Everton
Premiership: Everton 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur

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2010/2011 Premiership Statistics

Arsenal

League Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 14-4-5 (Home: 7-1-3)
Goal Difference: 48-22 (Home: 25-11)
Leading Goalscorer: Samir Nasri (9)
Form: DWDWW (Home: LWWDW)

Everton

League Position: 14th
Win-Draw-Lose: 5-12-6 (Away: 2-7-3)
Goal Difference: 27-29 (Away: 13-14)
Leading Goalscorer: Tim Cahill (9)
Form: DLWDD (Away: DWDLD)

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Head-to-Head (Last 5 Seasons):

2010/2011: Everton 1-2 Arsenal

2009/2010: Arsenal 2-2 Everton
2009/2010: Everton 1-6 Arsenal

2008/2009: Everton 1-1 Arsenal
2008/2009: Arsenal 3-1 Everton

2007/2008: Arsenal 1-0 Everton
2007/2008: Everton 1-4 Arsenal

2006/2007: Everton 1-0 Arsenal
2006/2007: Arsenal 1-1 Everton

2005/2006: Everton 1-0 Arsenal
2005/2006: Arsenal 2-0 Everton

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Pointers

Arsenal

- The Gunners have won each of their last five games in all competitions, scoring exactly 3 goals in four.

- Arsenal haven’t conceded a goal against Premiership opposition since drawing 2-2 with Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on 29th December (378 minutes).

- Only West Brom and Tottenham Hotspur have scored more than one goal at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadiums in all competitions this season.

- Arsenal have gone a little over 15-years without tasting defeat in a Premier League home fixture with Everton, winning 12 of the 14 meetings with the Toffees on home soil.

Everton

- The Toffees are without defeat in their last five games, losing just one of their last ten games in all competitions.

- Everton have won just two of their last thirteen matches in the Premier League, and just one of their last six.

- Have won just two of twelve away matches in the Premier League this season.

- Everton haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last eight matches in all competitions.

- The Merseyside outfit have only failed to score in one of their last nine away games in the league.

- Last beat Arsenal in the Premier League in an away fixture back in 1996, failing to win on any of their previous fourteen trips to either Highbury or Emirates.

- Everton scored twice during their most recent trip to Arsenal, when drawing 2-2 in a league fixture last season, and it was the first time Everton had scored more than one goal at Arsenal since beating the Gunners 15-years ago. 

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Team News

Arsenal – Arsene Wenger received crushing news that his leading goalscorer, Samir Nasri, will miss around three weeks after injuring his hamstring during Sunday’s FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town. Manuel Almunia played his first match of 2011 on Sunday, though the Spaniard is unlikely to start Tuesday’s game with Everton. Bacary Sagna, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song, Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie should all return to the starting XI, however Thomas Vermaelen is still out injured while Sebestian Squillaci is suspended after his red card offence on Sunday.

Everton – David Moyes doesn’t have any fresh injury concerns with striker Victor Anichebe the only doubt. Tim Cahill is still unavailable after narrowly missing out on winning the AFC Asian Cup with Australia.

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Match Prediction: Arsenal to WIN – 1.50 WilliamHill

To their credit, Everton have raised their game considerably in the crunch encounters with the more recognised teams in the Premiership (Everton 3-3 Man Utd; Tottenham 1-1 Everton; Chelsea 1-1; Man City 1-2 Everton; Everton 2-1 Tottenham & Liverpool 2-2 Everton), however, Arsenal are a different kettle of fish as it isn’t as simple as setting your defence up in a rock-solid, resolute manner. The Toffees not only need to work their socks off the reduce the amount of time and space available to the Gunners, they also need to have some composure on the ball and make sure they continue to make chances, and, more importantly, score a few goals. It’s seldom that Arsenal fail to score in their own backyard.

You have to admire Everton’s courage in the big games, however, Arsenal’s superior technical ability coupled with their promising vein of form, Arsene Wenger’s side having won all five of their previous games in all competitions, makes the hosts too strong in my honest opinion. It should be a thoroughly entertaining game nonetheless, however I fully expect this one to go the way of Arsenal, who rested a number of key players at the weekend as opposed to a full strength Everton side who poured everything into their Fourth Round tie with Chelsea only to draw 1-1.

Value Bet: Arsenal to WIN to NIL – 2.40 PaddyPower

The Gunners have had question marks hanging over their defence for some time now although this same defence continues to keep opposing offence at bay. Over seven hours have elapsed since Arsenal last conceded a goal in the Premier League and with Everton still without their top scorer Tim Cahill, and with Steven Pienaar now gone, Mikel Arteta still not back to his former self and Louis Saha still looking a bit behind the pace, perhaps it will be another routine win for Arsene Wenger’s charges, who have only won 6 of their 14 games in which they’ve won in the league this season by keeping a clean sheet.

Match Odds:

Arsenal – 1.50 WilliamHill
Draw – 4.50 Bet365
Everton – 8.50 SkyBet