Arsenal vs Everton. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Arsenal FC will host Everton FC in the English Premier League 38th-round match at the Emirates Stadium. The fixture will take place on Sunday, May 19, beginning at 20:30 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Arsenal News & Current Form: 

Arsenal have been pursuing the Premier League title since the 2004 season, and this year, the club from the capital has every reason to believe in their success. Unfortunately, the fate of the team is not entirely in their own hands: the Gunners are in second place in the EPL standings, trailing Manchester City by just two points.

The Londoners have had an almost impeccable run: 16 wins, one draw, and only one loss in 18 matches. The sole defeat came at the hands of Aston Villa FC in mid-April (0:2), which almost dashed Mikel Arteta and his team’s title hopes.

After this setback, the Reds gained momentum, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (0:2), Chelsea FC (5:0), Tottenham Hotspur FC (2:3), and AFC Bournemouth (3:0). Then Bukayo Saka put the Red and Whites ahead with a 11-meter strike, followed by Declan Rice assisting Leandro Trossard and scoring himself from close range.

Goalkeeper of Arsenal David Raya has been awarded with Golden Glove of Premier League award

Last weekend, the Londoners faced Manchester United FC at Old Trafford, where they secured a victory for only the second time in their last 17 away matches against the Red Devils. It was also the first time Arsenal had beaten MU twice in a Premier League season since 2007.

Surprisingly, the side of Erik ten Hag did not perform worse than the visitors in the first half, even outshooting them (8:5), but it was Arsenal who scored. Casemiro was too slow to get back in line with the defense, resulting in Kai Havertz receiving a pass on the right flank without being offside. The swift attack ended with a cross from the German player, which Trossard converted. Even before this match, the Belgian was the team’s best in terms of goals per minutes played this season.

Thanks to a perfect five-match stretch in the EPL, they still have a chance at the title going into the final round. However, for these chances to materialize into the long-awaited trophy, Mikel Arteta’s men need not only to win against Everton at home but also for their competitor, Manchester City, to slip up against West Ham United FC at home. The first part of the task is, to put it mildly, much easier.

There are four possible scenarios:

1. If Manchester City beat West Ham at the Etihad, they become champions.
2. If Arsenal do not beat Everton, Manchester City become champions.
3. If Manchester City draw and Arsenal win, the Gunners will become champions on goal difference.
4. If Manchester City lose and Arsenal beat Everton, Arteta’s charges will be champions.

Nevertheless, the Gunners will conclude the 2023/24 campaign with dignity, regardless of the outcome of the final round. Even if no new trophies are added to the Londoners’ cabinet, the team has matured significantly and will surely enter the new season even more seasoned and ready for great victories.

The individual growth of the Londoners’ key players has been remarkable. Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka are having outstanding seasons, with their skills making a huge impact in critical moments.

Additionally, the progress of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz is noteworthy, with Arteta fully unlocking their potential. Rice has recorded seven goals and eight assists in 37 Premier League matches, while Havertz has participated in 36 matches, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists.Moreover, the club has the most reliable defense in the league (28 goals conceded). The Gunners have scored 89 times, the second-highest in the league after City (93). 

Other trophies have eluded the team. Arsenal were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals by FC Bayern Munich (2:2, 0:1), exited the Emirates FA Cup in the third round to Liverpool FC (0:2), and were eliminated from the English Football League Cup in the round of 16 by West Ham (1:3).

Notably, Mikel Arteta was awarded the prestigious Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic for his outstanding contributions to Spain. This order is rarely awarded and has been given only to individuals and institutions for their exceptional services to Spain or for fostering international relations and cooperation since its creation in 1815.

“Mikel is a respected and beloved figure in the Spanish and British football communities. Through the universal language of football, he has strengthened the friendship between the two countries,” commented José Pascual Marco, the Spanish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, on the award ceremony.

On a positive note, almost all players are ready for the final round and the battle with the Toffees. Dutch central defender Jurriën Timber recently returned to training after a serious injury sustained in the first round, but he is unlikely to make the squad for this weekend. Saka had a minor injury but will be ready for Sunday’s game.

Everton News & Current Form: 

Despite being penalized by the Football Association with an 8-point deduction this season, Everton managed to retain their status in the top division. The Toffees have pulled off similar escapes in both 2022 and 2023, securing their place in the elite at the last moment, literally in the 37th-38th rounds. Such a severe penalty (a double blow in the form of deducted points) could have been a fatal hit then.

Currently, the Liverpool club occupies 15th place in the Premier League standings, 14 points ahead of 18th-placed Luton Town FC. Moreover, the team under guidance of Sean Dyche has been in tremendous form at the end of the season, suffering only one defeat in their last eight matches, with five wins and two draws.

The team’s head coach also received the Manager of the Month award for April. Notably, Dyche outperformed Arteta and Pep Guardiola in the voting—two contenders for the championship title, in which Sean and his team might play a decisive role.

After consecutive victories over Nottingham Forest FC (2:0), Liverpool FC (2:0), and Brentford FC (1:0), Everton drew with Luton Town away (1:1) at the beginning of May. The scored penalty of Elijah Adebayo equalized the goal by Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The recently played 37th round was also successful for the team, with a 1:0 win over Sheffield United FC.

Despite their recent victories, the Toffees are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league with only 39 goals — only Sheffield, who are bottom of the table, have fewer (35). However, Everton have conceded very few goals — only 49. In this regard, they rank among the top four teams in the Premier League, behind only Arsenal (28), City (33), and their local rivals Liverpool (41).

In other competitions, the Blues reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they lost to Luton Town (1:2), and in the League Cup, Dyche’s men were halted in the quarter-finals by Fulham FC (1:1, 6:7 on penalties).

Everton still cannot count on defenders Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko, as well as the experienced Dele Alli — all are injured. Striker Calvert-Lewin will likely lead the attack alongside Dwight McNeil. Ashley Young will continue to operate as the left wing-back, while Seamus Coleman will compete with Ben Godfrey for the spot on the opposite flank of the defense.

Coach of Everton FC Sean Dyche has been voted as the Premier League Manager of the Month

In their last two away matches against Arsenal, Everton conceded a total of 9 goals (1:5 and 0:4). In the first round of this season’s championship at Goodison Park, the visitors from London secured a very tough win—1:0, thanks to Trossard’s goal in the middle of the second half.

In the previous campaign, the opponents exchanged home victories. However, while Everton’s win was modest—1:0, the Gunners did not hold back and thrashed their opponents—4:0.

Arsenal form guide: L-W-W-W-W-W

Everton form guide: L-W-W-W-D-W

Arsenal vs Everton Head-To-Head Record:

• February 4, 2023: Everton 1 – 0 Arsenal (Premier League);
• March 1, 2023: Arsenal 4 – 0 Everton (Premier League);
• September 17, 2023: Everton 0 – 1 Arsenal (Premier League).

Arsenal vs Everton Predicted XI:

Arsenal’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard.

Everton’s possible starting lineup (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young; Garner, Onana, Gueye, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin.

Statistical preview of the match Arsenal vs Everton:

• Arsenal’s First XI average age is 26.3 years, Everton’s First XI average age is 28.1 years.
• The total value of hosts’s squad is 1.12 bln euros, while the total of guests comes up to 344 mln euros.
• Michael Oliver has been appointed as the center referee. The match official has already served 32 games this season, showing an average of 4 yellow cards and also whistles 23 fouls per game. 
• Arsenal have won their last 3 head-to-head matches at home against this opponent.
• In the last 5 games, Arsenal scored an average of 2.80 goals per game and conceded an average of 0.40 goals per game.
• In the last 5 games Everton scored an average of 1.40 goals per game and conceded an average of 0.20 goals per game.
• Arsenal have a five-match winning streak in the EPL.
• Everton did not lose in the last five matches of the championship (four wins + one draw).
• In the last 35 years, no team has managed to start the final day of an English top-flight season in second place in the table and win the championship. The last time this happened was in 1989 with Arsenal.

What has been said before the match:

Mikel Arteta, the gaffer of Arsenal, reflects on the formidable challenges of competing in the Premier League, emphasizing the difficulty of securing victories against any opponent, especially when high stakes are involved.

As he eagerly anticipates the crucial week ahead, Arteta underscores the significance of the upcoming matches and the impact they could have on the team’s aspirations:

“It’s really difficult to beat any opponent in the Premier League and when something is at stake as well, that task becomes more difficult. We all know that City are a little bit closer because that’s one game less and they have to play at home, but they’re going to play a really tough opponent. We have suffered this season against West Ham and over the last few seasons, it is really tough to beat them. I’m sure they’re going to be very good at it and hopefully they can help us to achieve our dream.”

“It’s one of the biggest weeks for many of us, and certainly now is the most important moment. I’m really excited and can’t wait for Sunday to be in front of us, and obviously I’m very optimistic as well with the possible outcome.”

“We have to do our job which is going to be tough because Everton are in a really good moment, so we’re going have to prove again that we can be better than the opponent and win the game. Then we have to wish for the best and for West Ham to have a really good day and help us to fulfill our dream. That’s what we’re hoping for.”

Sean Dyche, the manager of Everton, offers a detailed reflection on the numerous challenges his team has faced throughout the season and shares his thoughts as they prepare for the upcoming match against Arsenal:

“It’s been a very long season for many different challenges that have come our way. There’s been a lot of work by many to make sure we look after ourselves, so I’m pleased with that.”

“The points deductions have affected the season on a huge level – when we got the first lot of points taken off and then the second points. If you look back to those days, we were already doing nicely, changing the way we were working. That definitely affected the psychology of the players for a period at first.”

“I’m not bothered with the title race. It’s more about us continuing the thought process I put into place this season – the mentality side of things. I’ve spoken endlessly about it. The mentality’s been important. We’ve got to continue with that.”

“It’s going to be a difficult task. The way Arsenal have performed and grown as the season’s gone on, and stayed in there, and forced their way in there at times. There are no two ways about it, they’re the top side.”

Arsenal vs Everton Prediction:

The Toffees are playing outstandingly reliably this season, conceding just 1.1 goals per game on average – 4th best defence in the league. At the same time, Everton have problems with their attacking productivity, averaging just 1 goal per 90 minutes (19th best in the EPL). That’s why their matches are rarely productive: seven of their eight recent encounters have seen a maximum of two goals scored. The history of clashes with the Gunners is not the brightest either, with five of their ten matches producing fewer than three goals. Wards of Sean Dyche are riding a 5-match unbeaten streak, however, the Liverpool side are unlikely to stand tall against such a motivated and vastly superior in all metrics and class to Arsenal. We expect the Red-Whites to finish the season with a win. 

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Arsenal will win and the match total will be less than 4.5 – Yes.

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