Following an extended break due to the postponement of last Saturday’s Merseyside derby, Everton return to Premier League action this weekend as they head to London to take on Arsenal.
Sean Dyche’s side secured the ultimate confidence boost in their last league outing, thumping four past Wolverhampton Wanderers in an emphatic 4-0 victory at Goodison Stadium.
However, Dyche can’t afford to rest on his laurels, particularly amid the impending takeover, considering Dan Friedkin isn’t among his biggest admirers.
Speaking to the press in the build-up to this fixture, the former Burnley boss confirmed it’s only a matter of time before the Friedkin Group completes the purchase via the Liverpool Echo.
There’s no better way to bolster his chances of staying in the dugout than to steer the Toffees further away from the bottom three after opening up a five-point gap on 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
Formidable opposition
Arsenal have racked up a record 102 top-flight victories against Everton,including three consecutive wins at the Emirates Stadium since a 1-0 loss in April 2021.
Fresh off a 3-0 demolition of Monaco in midweek UEFA Champions League action, Mikel Arteta’s men will be out to make it four in a row.
Confidence stems from the Gunners’ dominant home record in 2024, as they’ve won an eye-catching 81% of their Premier League outings in North London since the turn of the year (W13, D2, L1).
Scoring against them on this ground has been elusive for Monaco, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, with all losing by multi-goal margins since club football resumed after last month’s two-week hiatus.
Troubles in paradise
Off-field distractions threaten to undermine Arsenal’s effort to go one better than back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Premier League.
Indeed, Thomas Partey’s uncertain future at the Emirates has headlined the Arsenal transfer news, with the Ghanaian’s contract running out at the end of the season.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Gunners face the realistic prospect of losing the 31-year-old midfielder on a free transfer next summer despite Arteta praising the ex-Atletico Madrid star in his latest interview.
Partey wasted a glorious opportunity to turn the tables on Fulham in last Sunday’s London derby at Craven Cottage as Arsenal fought back to draw 1-1.
VAR’s intervention denied Bukayo Saka’s last-gasp winner, halting the London team’s four-game winning streak after November’s international break.
That result left them six points adrift of table-topping Liverpool, allowing Chelsea to leapfrog them into second after a 4-3 triumph at Tottenham Hotspur.
Travel sickness
Unlike Arsenal’s title challenge, Everton may face another season-long struggle to avoid relegation.
Notoriously unable to pick up points outside Goodison, Dyche’s men must find their feet on the road to strengthen their hopes of escaping from the lower reaches.
Indeed, the Toffees have only won one of their seven Premier League away matches this season (D2, L4).
Since a narrow 1-0 triumph at Ipswich in mid-October, they have gone three successive top-flight travels without scoring (D1, L2), including an erratic 4-0 defeat at Man Utd on their last road trip.
However, the Emirates is the last place Everton would look to cure their travel sickness, given their long-standing misery on this ground.
Except for the abovementioned victory three years ago, they have failed to register a shutout in 11 of their last 12 away meetings with Arsenal in all competitions (W1, D1, L10).
What to do?
Despite boasting the division’s fourth-best scoring record, goals from open play have recently been hard to come by for Arsenal.
Yet, they’ve been virtually unstoppable from corner kicks, and if Everton are to stage an upset in the capital, defending set-pieces is imperative.
It’s up to Dyche to set up his defensive strategy and prevent the Gunners from becoming the first Premier League side since Liverpool in February 2022 to score from a corner kick in four straight league games.
With the aerial prowess of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite, Everton have the tools to stand firm, but they’ll need to be at their disciplined best to withstand Arsenal’s threat.