Mikel Arteta could name an unchanged Arsenal lineup from the Manchester United game despite concerns regarding Thomas Partey.
Arsenal will take on Everton in the early kick-off on Saturday, with Mikel Arteta focused on extending the lead at the summit. The Gunners face a Sean Dyche-led Everton, with the newly-appointed manager expected to change the setup to get a positive result.
The Spanish tactician will not tweak his system as per the opponent, as Arteta has had a blueprint for how Arsenal play. Hence, an unchanged lineup from the Manchester United clash could take the field at Goodison Park. After last weekend’s FA Cup clash with Manchester City, there were some concerns regarding Thomas Partey.
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Arteta had allayed fears after that clash, suggesting it was a rib injury. In his pre-match press conference, the Spaniard suggested Partey was a doubt but stopped short of ruling the midfielder out of the clash altogether.
Arteta said, “Let’s see – that one is still a doubt. Let’s see today how he comes in and if he’s able to train with the team or not. We will make a decision on that. He’s not ruled out and it’s nothing very significant but it was significant enough to get him out of the [Manchester City] game, which for Thomas is unusual. Hopefully he will be fine.”
Considering the issue was nothing major, Partey had plenty of time to recover as Arsenal last played a game eight days ago. Hence, the Ghanaian midfielder is likely to start despite the Gunners able to feature new signing Jorginho. Beyond that, only Emile Smith Rowe is missing from action, joining long-term absentees Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny.
Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zincheko should return to the lineup against Everton. Martin Odegaard will captain the side and play the advanced role ahead of the two Arsenal central midfielders. Jorginho might come off the bench to make his Arsenal debut.
Up front, Gabriel Martinelli, after signing the new contract, will hope to add glitter with a goal. He will have Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka in the front three as Arsenal look to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah
