View From The Enemy – Everton v Arsenal Preview

This last Premier league View From The Enemy comes direct from the official Everton website ahead of the Toffees trip to Arsenal. Ronald Koeman’s side won the reverse fixture which began our decline from the Top Four, and as they have not ever won a game at the Emirates they will be keen to end the season on a high.

Here is the full (and interesting) Preview of the game……

Arsenal v Everton
Premier League
Emirates Stadium
3pm kick-off

TEAM NEWS

Everton head to the Emirates Stadium with no fresh injury concerns.

The Blues are without the injured Yannick Bolasie, Ramiro Funes Mori [both knee], James McCarthy [hamstring], Maarten Stekelenburg [groin] and Seamus Coleman [broken leg].

Aaron Lennon also remains unavailable, while Jonjoe Kenny, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ademola Lookman are away with England Under-20s at the World Cup in South Korea.

But Muhamed Besic could feature after being named on the bench for last week’s 1-0 win against Watford.

“The 18 will be the same as last weekend,” said Ronald Koeman at his pre-match press conference. “If Mo [Besic] is on the bench, that means is a substitute like all the others. It’s always nice to give the players game-time but we will wait to Sunday to see what we need to during the game.”

Arsenal could be without defender Laurent Koscielny who will have a fitness test in the lead up to Sunday’s game.

Aaron Ramsey, who limped off against Sunderland in midweek is “alright” according to Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

FORM

After recording a 13th home win – a Club record in the Premier League era – against Watford last time out, Ronald Koeman’s side will be looking to sign off in style in north London.

The Blues have not yet won at the Emirates since it opened ahead of the 2006/07 season.

But Everton were victorious the last time the two sides met as Ashley Williams’ maiden goal for the Club earned the Toffees a deserved win after Seamus Coleman’s strike cancelled out Alexis Sanchez’s opener.

Arsenal currently sit fifth in the Premier League table and know they must win on Sunday to stand a chance of finishing in the Champions League places.

LAST MEETING: Everton 2-1 Arsenal, Tuesday 13 December 2016

On a perfect night under the lights it all came together for Ronald Koeman’s Everton. There was intensity, fire, pressing, fluid movement and a passion that permeated the Grand Old Lady with some of the inspiring intervention of old.

Having gone behind to a cruel deflection from a free-kick on the edge of the area by Alexis Sanchez, the Blues responded with gusto and the equalising goal by Seamus Coleman resurrected all of the spirit that has defined Goodison for so long.

Then Ashley Williams scaled new heights for this team this season, climbing above everyone with four minutes remaining to meet Ross Barkley’s corner kick with a header that beat Petr Cech. It was sensational and it was met with song and rejoicing that warmed every Evertonian heart.

Phil Jagielka was dismissed for a second bookable offence late in injury-time and it took goal-line clearances from first Ramiro Funes Mori and then Leighton Baines to protect the victory but there were few dull notes on a fine night for the Toffees.

ONE TO WATCH: ALEXIS SANCHEZ

The Chilean has been a menace to Premier League sides up and down the country ever since completing a £30million move from Barcelona to North London in July 2014 and has again been in imperious form in 2016/17.

The 28-year-old forward has 28 goals to his name for the campaign, including 23 in the Premier League. That figure puts him one behind Romelu Lukaku and three behind Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane in the race for the Golden Boot.

Sanchez has enjoyed a particularly fruitful spell in front of goal lately, with four goals in his last three appearances.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE: MICHAEL OLIVER

The Northumberland-based official will be taking charge of his fifth Everton match of the season, having overseen a win home win over Stoke City, away draws with Manchester United and Manchester City and an away defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

In all competitions, Oliver has officiated 43 games this season, with his most recent outing being Spurs’ 6-1 win at Leicester City. In total, he has shown 132 yellow cards and four red cards.

5 Comments

  1. Lets go for the win!! Top four is all about luck now and we need all the luck similar to winning a jackpot. Good game to show our discontent to kroenke amd try to show our support to usmanovic. Coyg final game at hme lets make it a memorable one

    1. Am hoping for the best but I just don’t see how Liverpool will bottle this one. Anyway, let’s hope this will be a kick up Arsene”s bum and an eye opener for the board we are being left behind.

      1. Am afraid the board we hve now are incompetent. Last year was a kick up there…..since spuds gave us a wakeup call and showed they are almost being better than us. What did we do? We did nothing we just panicked buy .

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