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Everton arrive at the Emirates Stadium with fresh legs having had last weekend’s match against Liverpool postponed.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has reflected on the infamous last meeting between the Gunners and Everton ahead of kick-off at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The last time the two sides faced one another, Mikel Arteta’s had the chance of winning a Premier League title. That came on the final day of last season but a 2-1 win thanks to a late Kai Havertz goal wasn’t enough to take the title away from Manchester City.
Writing in his programme notes ahead of taking on Sean Dyche’s outfit today, that match was front and centre of Odegaard’s mind. Arsenal go into the Premier League clash as firm favourites, unbeaten in their last seven and with 12 places separating the two teams in the league.
The midfielder reflected on that game ahead of kick-off and admitted to supporters that he was often asked about the intention behind his assist for Havertz that day. He said: “The last time we played Everton was the last day of the season, when Kai scored late on to give us the win, but it wasn’t enough to be champions on the day.
“A lot of people have asked me about my assist for that goal, and I’ve seen supporters talking about it online too, but if I’m being honest, I was trying to shoot. I got lucky on that one!”
Mikel Arteta’s side play for a third time in six days.Mikel Arteta’s side play for a third time in six days.
Mikel Arteta’s side play for a third time in six days. | AFP via Getty Images
Everton arrive at the Emirates Stadium having not played since December 4, with last weekend’s Merseyside Derby postponed due to Storm Darragh. On the other hand, the Gunners are in action for the third time in less than a week having played Fulham last Sunday and Monaco in midweek.
Odegaard said: “They didn’t play last weekend, or in midweek, so they have had a bit of rest too coming into this game. You never know if that’s an advantage or not though, because we are in the rhythm of playing every few days, and we’re pretty used to that now. They might have the rest, but we have the rhythm, so at the end I don’t think it will make much difference.”
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