Arsenal will face Everton in a must-win Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Arsenal still have a chance of being crowned Premier League champions this season. The Gunners need Manchester City to drop points when they face West Ham United this weekend, whilst the North London club must also beat the Toffees.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be heavy favourites when they welcome the Merseyside outfit to the Emirates Stadium, but they cannot afford to rest on their laurels or underestimate their opponents.
Everton do carry a threat, and there are also external factors which could make this fixture particularly tricky for the Gunners.
Whilst Arsenal fans have reasons to be hopeful that West Ham can cause an upset against Manchester City, Arteta must keep his players focused on their own task.
Arsenal must avoid distraction and complacency at all costs v Everton
Arsenal fans watching this game will also have an eye on goings in Manchester City’s match. The Arsenal players must be 100% focused on their clash with Everton, though. They cannot afford to take their own win for granted.
Arteta will be drilling this message into his players at the training ground this week. The Gunners have their own job to do, regardless of what goes on elsewhere.
Arsenal may be forced to get creative by Sean Dyche
Everton have an excellent defensive record, having only conceded 49 times in the Premier League this season. Only Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool have conceded fewer goals than the Toffees this season. Sean Dyche knows how to set his side up to remain compact and frustrate their opponents.
Everton are likely to sit deep on Sunday and deny Arsenal space to operate in in central areas. They will work hard to cut out the passing lanes that the likes of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka typically seek to combine in.
This approach will force the Gunners to seek alternative routes to goal. Set-pieces have been an important factor in Arsenal’s attacking play this season, and may prove crucial again. Alternatively, Arteta’s men will need to find an extra spark of creativity.
Everton carry counter-attack threat
Given the scale of the potential prize on the line, there may be a temptation for Arsenal to be very gung-ho, and over-commit themselves in attack. This will leave them exposed. The likes of Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison have the pace to exploit this.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin also has the capacity to hurt Arsenal. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes face a tough physical battle with the powerful striker.