Arteta goes up against his old boss in Moyesplaceholder image
Arteta goes up against his old boss in Moyes | Getty Images
Arsenal will look to remain top when they face Everton away from home this weekend.
‘Arsenal are back in action on Saturday when they head to Merseyside to take on a solid Everton side. The Gunners picked up another win last weekend when they defeated Wolves with a helping hand from the football Gods, with the West Midlands side scoring two own goals, including the decisive goal deep into stoppage time.
Since then, Mikel Arteta’s men have had the benefit of a full week week off amid a relentless schedule that has seen them play mid-week football for a number of weeks in succession.
Everton were well beaten by Chelsea last weekend, and a week off may not feel enough for them, with two key players struggling with injuries. Star men Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish are both real doubts, and it’s pretty certain the former will miss this game.
Dewsbury-Hall left the Chelsea game clutching his hamstring, and he has since posted on social media saying: “A little blip. See you all soon.” That message suggests Dewsbury-Hall is set for at least a couple of weeks out, and it’s almost unheard of to see a player play the following week after going off with a hamstring. Dewsbury-Hall is unlikely to be an exception.
Sutton prediction
With that injury in mind, BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton is backing the Gunners to pick up another win, albeit a narrow one. Sutton wrote in his weekly predictions column: “Arsenal got very lucky with the way they beat Wolves last time out, but is that the mark of champions, that they can find a way to get over the line?
“The Gunners have been ugly at times this season but they still get the job done and it might be a similar story here. I can't see them losing this game but they will need to find a way to win it, against an Everton side who have won four of their past six matches.
“What might help Mikel Arteta out is that most of the Merseysiders' best players might be missing for this one. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish are both injury doubts, while Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye are at Afcon with Senegal.
“That's a stinker for Toffees boss David Moyes, because Ndiaye in particular is so influential - and he is in my fantasy football team too. To be without all four of them would be a massive blow. I am not a medical expert but, if Dewsbury-Hall or Grealish have hurt their hamstrings in any way, which is what has been reported, then there is no way they will be fit for Saturday.
“Because of that, I am going for a narrow Gunners win to make it a 'Feliz Navidad' ['Merry Christmas' in Spanish] for Arteta, with his team top of the league. Prediction: 0-1.”
With Manchester City still within two points, Arsenal will be desperate to maintain their good form going into Christmas, hoping to rebuild the margin for error they had built early in the season prior to it being eroded to two points.
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