We look to spread some extra festive cheer to all our supporters by remaining top of the Premier League tree this Christmas, but that will require us to take three points from Saturday’s first-ever visit to Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium home (8pm UK).
We’ll be hoping that a change in surroundings will help with a change of fortune, as we won just one of our seven visits to the Toffees’ former home, Goodison Park before the Merseysiders’ summer stadia switch.
Everton have been beaten just four times in 18 home matches since David Moyes’ triumphant return at the start of the year, but his former player Mikel Arteta will hope to be an unwelcome guest at the new venue as he aims to celebrate six years in our dugout by kicking off the festive fixtures with a welcome away win.
Early home comforts
After David Moyes’ January arrival led to an upturn in fortunes, losing just four times in his 19 league games at the helm, Everton’s upward trajectory has continued in 2025/26. They head into this weekend in ninth, but just two points off fifth place.
Their adaptation to the new home has gone pretty well, and they remained unbeaten in their first five games there before Tottenham Hotspur became the first visiting team to leave with a victory, courtesy of a 3-0 success in October. The only other team to triumph there has been another Champions League outfit in Newcastle United, who won 4-1 three weeks ago.
Since then, Everton beat Bournemouth away from home 1-0, before demolishing old boss Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest 3-0 on their last home outing. However, Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea came at a price, with influential summer signings Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall departing the action injured.
What the managers say
Arteta: “It’s strange [going to a new stadium] but very exciting as well. One of the most iconic stadiums in the Premier League is no longer part of our schedule, but we’re going to have the opportunity to win at an incredible stadium that they’ve built.
“It’s Saturday night, you know what you expect. All the away games are always like this, [Goodison Park] was a really tough place to go. We all know that, and we’re going to have to be at our best to win on Saturday.” - every word from Mikel’s pre-match press conference
Read more Every word of Mikel’s pre-Everton press conference
Moyes: "Things are better - better results, better performances, players are doing well. So we want to try to keep that positive feeling up. Every win gives you that feeling you have a chance to make Europe. Every defeat makes you think: 'hey, let's just behave ourselves a little bit and think a bit clearer'. That's just the way the Premier League is this season.
"I don't think any of us are daft. We're always saying you only need to be a game or two away. If we had beaten Chelsea last week we could have probably got ourselves up to fourth or fifth, which would have been terrific. So I hope we get those opportunities again later in the season. I'm also a realist, and I understand that you only need to lose four out of five and you could be certainly looking at the other end of the table. So we're going along OK. We're playing well enough."
Read more The story of Mikel Arteta's six years at Everton
Team news
Ben White will be out for a few weeks after picking up a hamstring injury against Wolves last weekend, but his absence is helped by the return of Riccardo Calafiori from suspension.
Gabriel and Kai Havertz are edging closer to their returns from thigh and knee injuries, respectively, but aren’t close enough to be considered for this game, while Cristhian Mosquera and Max Dowman remain out.
Everton will be without a number of big names, including the in-form Dewsbury-Hall who limped off early on against Chelsea last week with a hamstring injury. Grealish followed him off down the tunnel later in proceedings with a similar issue but Moyes has suggested he is fine to play.
Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, responsible for the Toffees’ last two goals against us, are at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. Those four players have scored 12 of Everton’s 17 Premier League goals this term. Midfielder Merlin Rohl is back in training after recovering from a hernia operation, but Jarrad Branthwaite and veteran defender Seamus Coleman are out with hamstring issues.
Talking tactics
Adrian Clarke: Everton have impressed me this season, playing in a more attack-minded style that is easier on the eye. They will go long sometimes, but this Moyes outfit is not as direct as some of his previous teams. When it is on, they will play it through the thirds in their 4-2-3-1 shape.
They have a big, physical target man striker – either Beto or Thierno Barry – so an aerial threat will be posed whenever the hosts put balls into the danger zone. The Toffees are also excellent at getting the first contact at corners and free kicks, registering 71 attempts from set plays. No one, barring us on 77 shots from set pieces, has more.
Everton do like to press, and having kept four clean sheets in eight matches in front of their own supporters, I would expect them to be hostile in this aspect. Brighton are the only top-flight team to have a greater number of shots from high turnovers, so we must be careful when playing out from the back.
Defensively, Everton maybe lack a little pace so that is an area we might look to exploit. Experienced centre-back pair James Tarkowski and Michael Keane are especially strong in the air, so beating them with sharp passing, bright movement and quick dribbling is the best way of creating chances.
Facts and stats
Everton are winless in their last five Premier League games against us, having won four of their previous five.
Everton have lost just three of their last 17 home Premier League games (W7 D7), although two of those defeats have come in their last four on home soil.
Both Premier League meetings between the teams last season ended level. We last drew three in a row between November 2012 and December 2013, with current boss Mikel Arteta playing 90 minutes in all three of those games for the Gunners.
This will be the 209th top-flight meeting between the clubs. We have won 102 of those games (D45 L61), the most wins one side has against another in top-flight history.
Everton have lost all five of their Premier League games against teams competing in the Champions League this season, accounting for 83% of their defeats this term (5/6) including both of their home losses.
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We have conceded the first goal in five of our last seven Premier League away games, including each of the last three in a row. We last conceded first in more consecutive away games between September and December 2019, just before Mikel Arteta took charge.
We are unbeaten in our last 14 evening kick-offs in the Premier League (7pm or later - W12 D2) since a home loss to West Ham in December 2023.
Leandro Trossard has scored both of our away goals against Everton in the last two Premier League seasons. The last Gunners player to score in three consecutive visits to the Toffees was Ian Wright between August 1995 and September 1997.
Trossard has been involved in nine goals in his last nine away Premier League appearances (6 goals, 3 assists), scoring (3) or assisting (1) in each of his last four.
Martin Odegaard has had a hand in five goals in seven Premier League starts against Everton (3 goals, 2 assists).
Gabriel Jesus has scored more Premier League goals against Everton (8) than he has against any other side.
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Match officials
We’ll hope to keep our 100% record under the watchful eye of Sam Barrott, as we have won all six of the matches he has officiated so far, including the 2-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup back in October.
He has appeared at the Hill Dickinson Stadium already this term when he refereed Everton’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United in September, stretching the Toffees’ winless run under the Yorkshireman’s watch to four. He averages 4.2 yellow cards per game in the top-flight this season, and has sent off just one player in that time.
Referee: Sam BarrottAssistants: Tim Wood, Wade SmithFourth official: Oliver LangfordVAR: Michael SalisburyAssistant VAR: Peter Wright
Previous visits to Everton
Goodison Park was proving to be a difficult place for us to travel to in its last years hosting the men’s team, as we won just one of our last seven there, which came in September 2023’s 1-0 victory, courtesy of a Leandro Trossard goal.
The same man was on target on our final visit to the old ground back in April when we played out a 1-1 draw, with Ndiaye equalising from the penalty spot not long into the second half. The Toffees last won against us on home turf in February 2023 when James Tarkowski scored the only goal of the game, stretching their winning run against us on Merseyside to three.
Read more Remember these five classic wins at Everton?
Live coverage
Live From N5 is the place to be for live commentary of all our men’s first-team games across 2025/26.
Tune in from just before kick-off, when Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke will once again be behind the mics to guide you through the on-field action.
You can also find out which broadcasters are showing the action live, wherever you are in the world.
Read more How to watch Everton v Arsenal live on TV
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