How to watch Everton vs Arsenal live on December 21, 2019

December 20, 2019 By Ali M.

Topics: TV SCHEDULES, MIKEL ARTETA, ARSENAL, EVERTON, ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

The Gunners travel to Goodison Park on Saturday for Arteta's first game since being appointed as first-team coach. Check out our match preview for more info.

What is the form of Everton compared to Arsenal?

Everton's form has been nothing short of atrocious this season, hence Marco Silva's sacking. The Toffees lost three games in a row, including a 5-2 Merseyside Derby defeat, in the build-up to his dismissal. Since then, Duncan Ferguson has taken over as a caretaker and has led them to a victory over Chelsea, a draw at Man United, and a Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat against Leicester.

Arsenal haven't fared all too well lately either. The Gunners are winless in their last two games, suffering a 3-0 loss at home to Man City in their most recent fixture, and have only one win in their last 12 (D6, L5). Stretch that to their last 15 matches and the north London giants have won only three times.

Everton vs Arsenal head-to-head record

The last time these two sides met, Everton emerged triumphant 1-0. Oddly enough, it was at Goodison Park, the venue for Saturday's clash. Furthermore, the Toffees have won two of their last three home encounters with Arsenal.

Games played: 212

Everton wins: 61

Arsenal wins: 106

Draws: 45

Team news

Gylfi Sigurdsson and Djibril Sidibe have been suffering from illness. As a result, the jury is out on whether they will be available for Saturday's day. Fabian Delph should return but Lucas Digne hasn't yet recovered from his groin injury. Theo Walcott and Andre Gomes also remain on the sidelines.

Mikel Arteta will have a number of absentees for his debut game, with Tierney (shoulder), Holding (knee), and Ceballos (hamstring) all being out. Xhaka could return after suffering a concussion and the same is true for full-backs Hector Bellerin and Saeed Kolasinac.

Speaking of Arteta…

Key talking point: How will Arteta's debut go?

Mikel Arteta was announced as Arsenal's new head coach today on Friday. After sacking Unai Emery back in late November, the club was under the custodianship of caretaker Freddie Ljungberg but the club were in dire need of successor and the former midfielder was the man they turned to.

His detractors point to his lack of experience but regardless, the task at hand remains the same. The Gunners are in utter chaos, with a shambolic defense and slow build-up play plaguing the team. This, alongside a few other things, must be addressed.

Unfortunately, his first game will be no easy fixture. The north London giants will travel to Everton and while teams usually enjoy a quick turn in fortunes after a managerial change, that did not happen under Ljungberg and there's little to suggest it will occur now.

Despite this, Mikel is a man with a strong philosophy, one that just happens to match what the club and the fans want. He has passionately spoken about giving 120 percent for the team, something that Arsenal's current crop of players fail to do, which could improve the team's dedication and work. Him time at the Gunners will be interesting to watch.