Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton side will be looking to extend their two-game winning streak when they travel to North London to take on an upbeat Arsenal side. The Gunners haven’t been in the best runs of form over recent months but did well to put four goals past Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United the last time out. They then went on to pick up an important 1-0 away victory against Olympiacos in their Europa League round of 32 encounter.
Everton, on the other hand, showed strong will and determination to pick up both their last two league victories – winning by an aggregate margin of 6-3. Carlo Ancelotti has undoubtedly put in a lot of work towards this Everton team since joining them but is undoubtedly still far away from the expected end-result. The Toffees find themselves in ninth place on the league table and will have the opportunity to distance themselves from the Gunners, currently on the tenth position of the league table.
Team News
Jean-Philippe Gbamin remains the Toffees’ biggest miss in the middle of the park. At the same time, the absence of Andre Gomes after that horror injury he suffered against Tottenham has been pretty impactful too. Despite this, there’s enough good news for the Merseyside club’s fans to get excited about. Theo Walcott should be available for selection in this tie, while Fabian Delph is returning from a suspension as well.
Predicted 4-4-2 Everton Lineup Vs Arsenal
Formation: 4-4-2
Defence
Jordan Pickford has been the indispensable number one in the English national side for a while now, and with good reason. The shot-stopper continues to excel between the sticks for the Toffees and is likely to retain his spot. In front of him, expect Michael Keane to drop back down to the bench once again, with Mason Holgate set to replace him in the side, alongside Yerry Mina. Lucas Digne will continue in his usual role down the left flank, while Djibril Sidibé could come into the right-sided full-back slot.
Midfield
The injuries to Andre Gomes and the aforementioned Gbamin couldn’t have come at a worse time for Everton, especially with an experienced manager like Ancelotti at the helm. With Delph now returning from suspension, we expect the former Manchester City man to come back into the team, with Morgan Schneiderlin partnering him in the middle of the park. Alex Iwobi and Bernard are likely to take up the two wide roles.
Attack
Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have formed up quite the partnership since the turn of the year, and that trend looks set to continue into the last week of February as well. While the Brazilian offers a variety of well-balanced attributes, Calvert-Lewin seems to have taken up the responsibility of putting the ball into the back of the opposition net whenever required.
