Everton vs Arsenal, Preview and Team News, Barclays Premier League 2014-15: Toffees test await Gunners in EPL

Arsenal face Everton in the Premier League fixture at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Updated: August 23, 2014 4:37 AM IST

By Krishnan Iyer

Everton vs Arsenal, Preview and Team News, Barclays Premier League 2014-15: Toffees test await Gunners in EPL

Alexis Sanchez is yet to score his first goal in Arsenal colours.

Arsenal travel to Merseyside on Saturday to take on Everton at Goodison Park for their second Premier League fixture of the 2014-15 season. The north London club began their league campaign with a victory for the first time since 2009 after registering a dramatic 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace last Saturday.

The Eagles took a shock lead at the Emirates Stadium after Brede Hangeland headed home from a corner in the 35th minute. But their lead lasted a little over 10 minutes as Laurent Koscielny met Alexis Sanchez’s freekick to restore parity just before the half-time break.

Palace kept frustrating the hosts and Arsene Wenger threw Olivier Giroud and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in hope to snatch all three points. Their chances were further boosted in the dying minutes of the game after midfielder Jason Puncheon was shown the red card for a second bookable offence.

The match appeared to be destined for a draw but Aaron Ramsey netted the winner from close range. The 23-year-old Welsh midfielder tapped the ball in after Julian Speroni blocked Mathieu Debuchy’s shot, much to the delight of the Gunners faithful.

In the midweek, Arsenal travelled to Turkey and were held to a goalless draw in the first leg of the Champions League qualifying play-off against Besiktas. They now face the same opponent next Wednesday and Wenger will be desperate for his side to go into that fixture with the confidence of having bagged all three points.

The same fixture in the previous campaign saw the Merseyside club register a 3-0 victory over Arsenal with goals from Steven Naismith, Romelu Lukaku and an own goal from former midfielder Mikel Arteta. Wenger believes that his squad is now better and stronger to prevent a repeat of last season.

“On the day, Everton deserved to win. We were unlucky with the goals we conceded because two of them were not regular. We had an off day but I think in a season that can happen,” Wenger said during the pre-match press conference.

“We have a good opportunity on Saturday to show that we have moved forward and that we are stronger than last year. We have young players, which means that every year they can be better. Also the team improves with success, which we had a reasonable [amount of] last year.”

Everton on the other hand were held to a 2-2 draw in their opening game against Premier League newcomers Leicester City. Aiden McGeady opened the scoring at the King Power Stadium in the 20th minute for the Toffees only to see Leonardo Ulloa draw level two minutes later. Steven Naismith put the away side into the lead just before half-time and that appeared to be the winning goal.

Steven Naismith (centre) will be hoping to touch double figures this season as compared to last season’s tally of 5 goals.

However, substitute Chris Wood slotted home the equaliser in the 86th minute to deny Roberto Martinez’s men all three points. The Spaniard is happy that his side are now playing at home and will be keen for his side to prove that they can break into the league’s top four spot.

“It’s out first home game and there is a special feeling around our fans. We need to make sure that we have a real platform to build on at home and that we are really positive. We need to use that for the season ahead. That’s the pressure we need to put on ourselves, and that means making sure there is no margin for error in this game,” Martinez explained.

Team News

Everton

Ross Barkley and Arouna Kone are out with knee injuries while full back Bryan Oviedo has not fully recovered from a leg break sustained earlier this year in January.

Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Tim Howard; John Stones, Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin, Leighton Baines; James McCarthy, Gareth Barry; Kevin Mirallas, Steven Naismith, Aiden McGeady; Romelu Lukaku

Arsenal

Captain Mikel Arteta and summer signing David Ospina are out with thigh injuries while Kieran Gibbs is ruled out due to hamstring problem. Serge Gnabry and Theo Walcott are out with knee injuries but Yaya Sanogo could be available after recovering from a strained hamstring.

Probable lineup (4-2-3-1): Wojciech Szczesny; Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal; Mathieu Flamini, Jack Wilshere; Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla; Olivier Giroud

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