Koeman vs Wenger
Wenger,
who celebrates his 68th birthday, has never much enjoyed facing team's
managed by Koeman. The Dutchman has won five of the meetings between the
pair to Wenger's three, with the other five ending in draws.
After Everton's 2-1 win last December, Koeman responded to Wenger's criticism of referee Mark Clattenburg by saying: "I'm not surprised because it's the third [home game] in a row I won against Arsenal and three times in a row it was about the referee.
"I'm sorry Arsenal, we won through the referee."
There's been a bit of needle
between the pair as well in the past, with Koeman feeling that Wenger
has been a sore loser when Arsenal have been defeated.
After Everton's 2-1 win last December, Koeman responded to Wenger's criticism of referee Mark Clattenburg by saying: "I'm not surprised because it's the third [home game] in a row I won against Arsenal and three times in a row it was about the referee.
"I'm sorry Arsenal, we won through the referee."
Preamble
Afternoon all,
Welcome to the first of today's Premier League double header, which will definitively tell us whether north London or Merseyside is the greater football powerhouse.
In the 1.30 KO we have an Arsenal side reeling from last week's defeat at Watford against an Everton team still coming to terms with the fact that a supporter punched an opposition player while holding his child in their last match.
While that may sound more like a story from the Sky 1 drama Dream Team, it did actually happen, and is in keeping with Everton's disastrous season to date.
After a summer spent buying loads of players for loads of money, but failing to sign a striker despite Romelu Lukaku's departure, Ronald Koeman's side have failed to gel, and the manager increasingly looks as though he's been sleeping on a park bench.
Welcome to the first of today's Premier League double header, which will definitively tell us whether north London or Merseyside is the greater football powerhouse.
In the 1.30 KO we have an Arsenal side reeling from last week's defeat at Watford against an Everton team still coming to terms with the fact that a supporter punched an opposition player while holding his child in their last match.
While that may sound more like a story from the Sky 1 drama Dream Team, it did actually happen, and is in keeping with Everton's disastrous season to date.
After a summer spent buying loads of players for loads of money, but failing to sign a striker despite Romelu Lukaku's departure, Ronald Koeman's side have failed to gel, and the manager increasingly looks as though he's been sleeping on a park bench.
Thankfully
for Koeman, everyone's favourite punch-bag Arsenal could be just what
his ailing, 16th-placed side needs to perk them up. Arsene Wenger's
merry bunch of weaklings are fresh from having their collective head
flushed down the toilet by Troy Deeney last week, and a trip north of
Hertfordshire will probably leave Granit Xhaka et al. asking matron if
they can get a sicknote to miss this match.
In the equivalent fixture last season, Everton were in similarly poor form having won just one of their previous 10 matches but they roused themselves and won 2-1 against an off-colour Arsenal.
Today is a match that neither side can afford to lose given the swirling discontent at both Goodison and the Emirates, so we could be in for a cautious 90 minutes. That said, it has never been Arsene Wenger's style to set up a team that is difficult to beat, so maybe we're just as likely to have a 3-0 win either way. Plus Arsenal - who would leap from 7th to 5th win a win today - have only drawn three times in their last 34 Premier League matches, so a stalemate looks unlikely.
It's a very difficult one to call as both teams are capable of staggering ineptitude, but I'll go with Everton 2 Arsenal 1.
In the equivalent fixture last season, Everton were in similarly poor form having won just one of their previous 10 matches but they roused themselves and won 2-1 against an off-colour Arsenal.
Today is a match that neither side can afford to lose given the swirling discontent at both Goodison and the Emirates, so we could be in for a cautious 90 minutes. That said, it has never been Arsene Wenger's style to set up a team that is difficult to beat, so maybe we're just as likely to have a 3-0 win either way. Plus Arsenal - who would leap from 7th to 5th win a win today - have only drawn three times in their last 34 Premier League matches, so a stalemate looks unlikely.
It's a very difficult one to call as both teams are capable of staggering ineptitude, but I'll go with Everton 2 Arsenal 1.
What does it all mean?
So,
Everton look like they're lining up win a 3-4-3, with Williams, Keane
and Jagielka all starting at centre-backs. Schneiderlin misses out with
injury, while Calvert-Lewin gets the nod over Niasse up front.
For Arsenal, Ozil, Sanchez and Lacazette start together for the first time, while Ramsey is back in central midfield alongside Xhaka, who remains in the team despite his dereliction of duty against Watford last week.
For Arsenal, Ozil, Sanchez and Lacazette start together for the first time, while Ramsey is back in central midfield alongside Xhaka, who remains in the team despite his dereliction of duty against Watford last week.
Team news
The teams are in for this one...
Everton: Pickford, Kenny, Keane, Williams, Jagielka, Baines, Sigurdsson, Gueye, Vlasic, Rooney, Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Joel, Mirallas, Martina, Niasse, Klaassen, Davies, Lookman.
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Kolasinac, Ramsey, Xhaka, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette
Subs: Macey, Holding, Coquelin, Wilshere, Iwobi, Walcott, Giroud
Everton: Pickford, Kenny, Keane, Williams, Jagielka, Baines, Sigurdsson, Gueye, Vlasic, Rooney, Calvert-Lewin
Subs: Joel, Mirallas, Martina, Niasse, Klaassen, Davies, Lookman.
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Kolasinac, Ramsey, Xhaka, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette
Subs: Macey, Holding, Coquelin, Wilshere, Iwobi, Walcott, Giroud
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