With their brilliant 3-1 win against Stoke City, Arsenal will be looking to heap the pressure on league-leaders Chelsea when they travel to Goodison Park on Tuesday night to take on struggling Everton. A win by any margin will see Arsenal claim the top spot for one day before Chelsea travel to Sunderland on the day after.
It marks the first of two crunch games for Arsene Wenger’s men as they attempt to underline their title credentials at Everton before a trip to Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Even though Everton have faded off after their brilliant start to their season under Koeman, they do have what it takes to cause an upset when they host the Gunners. There is no room for complacency for the North London giants. Here are three key battles which could decide the outcome.
Ramiro Funes Mori vs Alexis Sanchez
Everton’s defending has been dismal of late and they will be up against one of the best players in the Premier League. Alexis Sanchez has scored 13 goals this season in all competitions having set up eight more for his teammates and can tear apart the Everton backline on his own.
Ramiro Funes Mori is an athletic defender and needs to be at his best to stop Sanchez from doing the damage. Neither Williams nor Jagielka has the pace to deal with Sanchez and therefore, Koeman will look forward to Funes Mori keeping the Chilean under the lid.
Francis Coquelin vs Idrissa Gueye
The key to winning a game is to win the midfield battle. Arsenal doing so well of late is the form of their central midfielders, especially Coquelin. The Frenchman has been an absolute beast in the middle of the park with his excellent industry, defensive discipline and an eye for a pass. The 25-year-old has registered a passing accuracy of 89% this season and will be looking to take control of the midfield against Everton.
Idrissa Gueye has been average of late but he is still a quality player and might make the job harder for Coquelin.
Romelu Lukaku vs Laurent Koscielny
Lukaku came back to scoring ways with a brace against Watford in the weekend but failed to help his side win the game as Watford won 3-2. The big Belgian will be keen to impress once again after finally finding his scoring boots. With his defensive partner Mustafi absent with injury, Koscielny’s job will be even harder on Tuesday. The two will battle each other for the authority in the air and the winner might win his side the game.
