David Moyes has new headache to solve after Everton vs Arsenal team news update
Everton’s task of beating Arsenal this weekend may just have been made significantly tougher.
Arsenal will make their first trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to play Everton on Saturday.
David Moyes’ side were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea last time out, but they’ll still enter the clash with the table-toppers full of confidence thanks to their strong form in recent weeks.
Jack Grealish looks set to hand Moyes a major injury boost, which could be vital as Everton have lost Iliman Ndiaye to AFCON.
Arsenal set for major injury boost ahead of Everton trip
Mikel Arteta was in a generous mood after his Arsenal side scraped past relegation-stricken Wolves 2-1 last weekend.
The Gunners boss gave his players two days off following the dramatic win, but it was an evening that saw £60million summer signing Martin Zubimendi withdrawn just before the hour mark.
This sparked some injury concerns among Arsenal fans, and those fears were only heightened when, as Football London reported, he didn’t take part in an open training session with the rest of the first-team squad on Tuesday.
But, it’s Football London said it is understood that there are no current injury concerns from within the Arsenal camp surrounding the 26-year-old Spain midfielder, and instead, the coaching staff are simply being careful with his workload.
This is likely because this season is the first in Zubimendi’s career that he won’t experience a winter break, and so that could take its toll on his fitness levels if not managed properly.
Everton’s midfield are going to have tough time stopping Arsenal’s opposite numbers
With Idrissa Gueye also jetting off for AFCON, Moyes is likely to deploy a central midfield pairing of James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam.
Whomever is selected to form Everton’s midfield on Saturday, they are going to have their work cut out if they want to get the better of the battle in the middle of the park, especially with Zubimendi fit.
- Everton haven’t beaten Arsenal in the Premier League since 4 February 2023
- Arsenal have the best defence in the top flight, with just 10 goals conceded in 16 games
- Moyes has won just six of his 45 games managed against the Gunners in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt
Arsenal have an embarrassment of riches in this department, with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino, Christian Norgaard and Zubimendi all to pick from.
So, it’s going to be vital that Everton don’t allow Arsenal’s midfield to overwhelm them, but that is far easier said than done, and it’s surely going to give Moyes a sleepless nights in the build up to the game.
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