Marco Silva tasted his first defeat at Goodison Park last weekend after his side were comfortably beaten by West Ham United, who incidentally registered their first point of the campaign in that game. The Toffees have won just a single game so far this season but have shown glimpses of why Silva is building an impressive squad at Merseyside.
They have a real test waiting for them this weekend, as they travel to Emirates to take on Arsenal, who are fresh from a 4-2 victory over Vorskla in the Europa League. The Gunners played on Thursday and did not rest too many of their first team stars. But Unai Emery cannot afford to rest players for this game either. Everton need to be at their best to get anything from this trip to London. Here is the predicted lineup Silva might field for this tie:
Team News:
The Toffees are still without the likes of Phil Jagielka, Andre Gomes and James McCarthy, all of who are long-term absentees. Yerry Mina, Seamus Coleman and Michael Keane are close to making a comeback but could struggle to make it to the squad this weekend. However, they are set to welcome Richarlison back from a suspension.
Expected lineup (4-2-3-1):
Defence:
Jordan Pickford had a night to forget against West Ham. However, he remains the first choice for Marco Silva and should start under the bar this weekend for Everton. In the absence of Jagielka and Keane, Mason Holgate and Kurt Zouma, both of who struggled against West Ham, could retain their place in the first team for this trip to Emirates.
Lucas Digne has been impressive at times this season, but he needs to find some consistency soon. He will keep his place at left-back while Coleman’s absence will see young Jonjoe Kenny retain his position at right-back for this tie.
Midfield:
Idrissa Gueye has not been his usual self this season. But the Toffees need him to be at his best to beat Arsenal away from home. He will be partnered with Morgan Schneiderlin, who also needs to step up his game quickly.
Attack:
Theo Walcott has struggled to keep up his intensity throughout the game in the last few outings. He will return to the Emirates for the first time after leaving the club and will be crucial for Everton on the right flank and so will be Richarlison, who should be back in the starting XI. The Brazilian will start on the left side and could cause some problems to the likes of Hector Bellerin and Shkodran Mustafi in this game.
Cenk Tosun is yet to make an impact in front of goal and will soon lose his manager’s faith if he does not start finding the back of the net consistently. However, he remains their best option at the moment to lead the line. Gylfi Sigurdsson, who gave his side a glimmer of hope in the last game against West Ham, should retain his place in a no.10 role.
Here is how they might line up:
