Preview: Everton have never defeated Arsenal at the Emirates
The last time Arsenal took part in a match at Wembley, things did not go as planned. A late miscommunication between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny handed Birmingham the Carling Cup.
On Saturday, the Gunners will get a chance to make their way back to Wembley. But in their way will stand an Everton side that has been impressive under Roberto Martinez.
Everton come in as clear underdogs, but the last time they were at the Emirates, they proved that they are far from pushovers. A 1-1 draw against the North London side had Roberto Martinez happy, considering his fought back after a Mesut Ozil goal gave the hosts the lead.
Without Phil Jagielka on Saturday, Martinez will have to find an adequate replacement for the England international. Apart from his absence, the Everton manager will be happy that he has no other injury concerns.
Despite their poor away record to Arsenal, Scotland international Steven Naismith believes his side have no reason to fear the Gunners.
“It is a massive game,” Naismith told reporters. “You need to beat the big teams if you want to get to finals and win trophies so we are going to work hard.”
“They are as good as anyone when they get on the ball and have free movement. But if you want to be winning a competition like the FA Cup you have to find a way of being effective against a team like Arsenal.”
Arsenal’s injury report looks slightly more concerning than that of Everton.
Jack Wilshere picked up an injury on international duty and has been ruled out for six to eight weeks. If the Englishman’s recovery goes to plan, he should return to take part in at least two Premier League matches, but the Gunners will have to go through a very tough stretch of matches without him.
In Wilshere’s absence, it is likely that Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta could start in front of the Arsenal defensive line.
A question mark in that back four is Laurent Koscielny, who is struggling with a hamstring injury. The French international did not take part in his countries friendly match mid-week, but Arsene Wenger seemed confident he would be fit for Saturday.
With the FA Cup looking like the most realistic opportunity for Arsenal to claim a title this season, the French manager will likely not opt to make too many changes to the squad. Having lost their last Premier League match away to Stoke City, failure to eliminate Everton on Saturday could make things very difficult for a daunting schedule that awaits the North London club.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Arsenal vs Everton live on Saturday, March 8, 2014:
In Canada at 7:45 ET on: Sportsnet World Online, Sportsnet World
In the UK at 12:45 GMT on: ITV 1, UTV, BBC Radio 5 Live
In the USA at 7:45 ET on: Fox Sports 1 USA, Fox Soccer 2Go, Fox Deportes, SiriusXM FC
If you are outside these viewing areas and do not want to miss the highly anticipated FA Cup match, please visit the Arsenal vs Everton match page for full TV listings.
