Arsenal travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton in the Premier League on Saturday and will look to get a win after ending their loosing streak in midweek.
The North London club were poised to get all three points, but another red card derailed their plans against Southampton. Everton will provide a stiff challenge as they have players that can hurt the Gunners defence. What changes will Mikel Arteta be making for this game?
There are a couple of suspension issues that Arteta has to deal with. Both Granit Xhaka and Gabriel will be missing out due to suspension. Hector Bellerin is back after missing out in midweek. Thomas Partey is once again set to miss out(per Independent) as the midfielder is still recovering from an injury.
Arteta will set up his players in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bernd Leno in goal. Bellerin will return to the starting XI in place of Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Kieran Tierney will be the other full back and these two will be key in pinning Everton back. The suspension of Gabriel means that David Luiz will slot in his place alongside Rob Holding.
With both Xhaka and Partey not available, the onus falls on Mohamed Elneny and Dani Ceballos. They will have to support the attack and provide them with some protection as well. If they can do that, the Emirates club have a real chance of getting the win.
Alexandre Lacazette is expected to be back in the team in place of Eddie Nketiah. On either flank we will see Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka. The latter in particular was one of the best players on the pitch against Southampton. He will be tasked with providing the North Londoners with some spark in the attacking third.
It was good to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back among the goals and Arsenal will want that to continue. If they can put him in some dangerous positions, Everton will find it difficult to cope with the pressure. The Toffees are a tough team to beat but the visitors must believe that they can get a win.
Predicted Arsenal Line-up against Everton (4-2-3-1):
Bernd Leno, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney, Mohamed Elneny, Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette, Bukayo Saka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
