James Murray

Fri 15 September 2023 12:10, UK

Chris Sutton has predicted Everton to suffer a narrow defeat when they host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday (17 September).

Writing on the BBC Sport website, the pundit said a win would be “massive” for the Toffees, but he believes it’s a “huge ask” even if he does expect Sean Dyche’s side to score.

Sutton has predicted a 2-1 win for the Gunners as he believes they will find a “way to win” despite not playing at their best in the early stages of this season.

“Can Sean Dyche do it again against Mikel Arteta?” asked Sutton. “Another win would be massive but it’s a huge ask for Everton, even if they have been playing better at Goodison Park than their results suggest.

“I think Everton will score but even if Arsenal aren’t at their best, they will still find a way to win.”

Give them a game

Although it hasn’t been the best start to the season for Everton, you would expect them to raise their game as they usually do when some of the so-called bigger teams come to Goodison Park.

There is no doubt that it will be difficult because Arsenal can be an exceptional side on their day and you can’t give them the opportunity to get into full flow.

But even though the results haven’t been there, the performances at home haven’t actually been that bad for the Blues, it’s just finding the back of the net that’s proved to be the biggest issue.

Sutton expects it to be a closely-fought game and, if it does pan out like that, then the result could go either as the Toffees aim to pick up their first three points of the campaign.

Dyche will have been working hard with his players during the international break and he’ll be hoping that can translate onto the pitch with a good performance and a positive result.

In other Everton news, a pundit has raved about one player following his recent performances.