Last season, Arsenal struggled away from home against the top clubs in the Premier League. A meeting at Goodison Park against Everton will provide the Gunners with a stern test, after they narrowly escaped against Crystal Palace last week.
Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat in this fixture last season will be fresh on their mind, but they will have to be much better than they have been up until now.
The Gunners will be without captain Mikel Arteta, who picked up an ankle injury against Besiktas midweek. Without the Spaniard, Arsene Wenger will have some big decisions to make. Will he start Mathieu Flamini, who is a a defensive midfielder, or could he opt to start Wilshere and Ramsey deeper, allowing someone like Ozil, Chamberlain, Rosicky, Cazorla, or even Alexis to operate in a free role down the middle?
In good news for Wenger, Podolski, Mertesacker and Ozil are back in the squad, and they will give him options he didn’t have last week.
Kieran Gibbs will also be out, after picking up a hamstring injury late in the match against Crystal Palace. In his place will likely be Nacho Monreal, who came on last week, as well as against Besiktas on Tuesday.
Roberto Martinez will have an injury concern of his own, with Ross Barkley missing significant amount of time. His tenacity and ability to get forward will be missed for the Toffees, but after a 10 month absence, Darron Gibson could be an option.
Lukaku’s lack of match fitness will also be a concern for Martinez, as the Belgian looked far from his best against Leicester City in their opening match. If the hosts are going to repeat their result from last year and get their first victory of the campaign, a fit and motivated Lukaku could be the trick.
Neither side was impressive last week, but they will have knocked off some of that rust already. While the Gunners will have more team chemistry, having already played three competitive matches, Everton have proven to be a tough opponent at home.
Despite all their talent across the pitch, the success for both could come down to their two strikers. If Giroud and Lukaku are unable to somewhat contribute as they did last season, both teams could struggle to score, although the Gunners may have more offensive weapons than the hosts.
Be sure to visit the Everton vs Arsenal match page for full TV listings worldwide. Also, check out LiveSoccerTV's 2014-15 EPL Multi-Platform Broadcast Guide.
Everton vs Arsenal Team Sheets
Everton's Starting XI: Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Barry, McCarthy; Mirallas, Naismith, Pienaar; Lukaku.
Everton's bench: Robles, McGeady, Besic, Atsu, Osman, Stones, Alcaraz.
Arsenal's Starting XI: Szczesny, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Chambers, Monreal, Flamini, Ox, Wilshere, Ramsey, Ozil, Alexis
Arsenal's bench: Martinez, Bellerin, Koscielny, Rosicky, Giroud, Cazorla, Campbell
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Everton vs Arsenal live on Saturday, August 23, 2014:
In the USA at 12:30 EST
- TV: NBC, Mun2
- Online / App: NBC Sports Live Extra, Deportes Telemundo En Vivo
- Radio: SiriusXM FC
In Canada at 12:30 EST
In the UK at 17:30 BST
- TV: Sky Sports 1/HD
- Online / App: Sky Go Extra, Sky Go, NOW TV
- Radio: TalkSport Radio UK
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