Everton vs Arsenal preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Arsenal will look to extend their ten-game unbeaten run away from home when they travel to Goodison Park for a Saturday lunchtime clash against Everton.

Arsenal’s hope of ending a 21-year title drought have suffered as they now trail leaders Liverpool by 12 points. Meanwhile, under David Moyes, Everton has steadily climbed up the Premier League table and are no longer in danger of relegation.

It appears Arsenal are facing yet another season of underachievement, much to the frustration of fans with Arsenal tickets. Their recent form has derailed their title challenge, with just 11 points earned from the last five games and 22 points from their previous ten fixtures.

For the North London club to secure a Premier League title that has eluded them for over two decades, they would need a perfect finish to the season while hoping Liverpool falters in at least four remaining games. While not entirely impossible, Arsenal have offered few signs of encouragement recently, particularly in away games, where they have managed just one win in their last four trips, along with one loss and two draws.

In a match where several former Gunners returned to the Emirates – including Emile Smith Rowe, Bernd Leno, Willian, and Alex Iwobi – it was another returning Arsenal player who stole the show during the London derby against Fulham in their last Premier League outing.

After Mikel Merino, stepping in as a make-shift number nine, had opened the scoring with a lucky deflected shot, Bukayo Saka, making his first appearance of 2025 following a serious hamstring injury, quickly doubled the lead with a header at the far post just six minutes after his introduction. His celebration with the club’s strength and conditioning coach, Sam Wilson, was heartwarming.

Arsenal will aim to extend their impressive unbeaten run on the road to 11 matches. Yet, regardless of whether it’s the red or blue side of Merseyside, the region has been a tricky territory for visitors in recent seasons.

In their last 26 Premier League away fixtures against Everton and Liverpool, Arsenal have only won three times. This statistic will comfort Moyes, who will hope to outsmart Arteta at what may soon be his former stomping ground.

Everton, too, will be fired up following their painful 1-0 loss to Liverpool in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, which ended their nine-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League. The Toffees were fortunate to avoid having James Tarkowski sent off for a reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister.

Nonetheless, despite the defeat, Everton’s first since January 15, and a run of five matches without a win (four of which were draws), they remain comfortably 14 points clear of the relegation zone in 15th place.

Although Moyes’ return to Everton has been a source of inspiration, the Toffees’ defence has shown signs of vulnerability. Diogo Jota’s decisive goal for Liverpool in midweek means that Everton conceded at least one goal in their last eight matches across all competitions, including six of their last seven home games.

Under Moyes’ leadership, the Toffees have won four of their ten matches, with two defeats, scoring 15 goals and conceding 10. For comparison, they earned 18 points in their first 20 games, scoring just 17 goals.

In their previous encounter, Arsenal triumphed 1-0 at Goodison Park in the 2023-24 season, ending a five-game unbeaten streak at home against the Gunners. However, after managing a 0-0 draw at the Emirates in December, Everton could keep a clean sheet in both league matches against Arsenal in a single season for the first time in 112 years.

Everton vs Arsenal match details

• Date: Saturday, 5th April
• Location: Liverpool, England
• Kick-off time: 12:30 PM GMT, 11:30 AM UTC
• Referee: Darren England
• Assistant referees: Scott Ledger, Akil Howson
• Fourth official: Bobby Madley
• VAR: Stuart Attwell
• Assistant VAR: Wade Smith

Match stats and head-to-head

• Since the appointment of David Moyes, Everton have performed as the fifth-best team in the Premier League, accumulating 16 points from his tenure. Only Liverpool (23), Brighton (19), Crystal Palace (18), and Arsenal (18) have earned more during this period.

• Under the Scottish manager, Everton’s last five Premier League home matches have all seen over 2.5 goals, with an average of 3.8 per game.

• Since Moyes’ return as Everton manager, only Mohamed Salah (9), Jean-Philippe Mateta (7), and Alexander Isak (7) have scored more Premier League goals than Beto (5).

• Everton have struggled in their recent encounters with Arsenal, losing four of the last six league meetings (one win, one draw) since a three-game winning streak over the Gunners.

• At Goodison Park, Everton have only lost two of their last 13 Premier League games (W4 D7), with three consecutive draws. They haven’t drawn four in a row at home since January-February 2015.

• Arsenal have won just three of their last 26 away matches in Merseyside (D10 L13), including Everton and Liverpool. Before this run, they had won six of their previous seven visits.

• Last season, the Merseyside club lost 1-0 in this fixture despite being unbeaten in their five home games against Arsenal (W4 D1). They haven’t lost consecutive home league games to the Gunners since a streak between 2009 and 2012.

• The reverse fixture in December ended 0-0. Arsenal haven’t kept a clean sheet in both meetings with Everton in a league season since 2011-12, and they haven’t failed to score in both games against the Toffees since the 1912-13 season.

• After winning four of their five league games against Arsenal between December 2020 and February 2023, Everton are now winless in their last four encounters (D1 L3).

• The Gunners are currently on a 10-game unbeaten away run in the Premier League (W5 D5), second only to Liverpool’s 17-game streak. Since the start of 2024, Arsenal has earned more away points (52) than any other team, conceding the fewest goals (16) on the road.

• The Toffees have scored four 90th-minute goals at Goodison Park in the Premier League this season, with three of those being equalisers in draws. This is their highest number of last-minute goals in a single campaign since 2016-17.

• David Moyes won three of his first five Premier League home games against Arsenal (D1 L1) between 2002 and 2007 but has only won once in his last 13 (D5 L7), with a 1-0 win as Manchester United manager in November 2013.

• Ashley Young is the only player in the current Everton squad with more Premier League goals against Arsenal than anyone else (2), both scored during his time at Manchester United in an 8-2 win in August 2011. He has also accumulated 10 yellow cards against Arsenal, with only Kevin Davies (11) and Mark Noble (11) having more yellow cards against a single opponent in Premier League history.

• Arsenal’s captain, Martin Ødegaard, has contributed to five goals in his last seven Premier League appearances against Everton (3 goals, two assists), with one of those coming at Goodison Park, opening the scoring in a 2-1 defeat in December 2021.

Team news

While Arsenal will undoubtedly celebrate their victory and Saka’s return to the first team, they suffered a significant setback just 16 minutes into the match when central defender Gabriel Magalhães was forced to leave the field due to a hamstring injury, with Jakub Kiwior replacing him.

Gabriel’s injury has been confirmed as serious with Arsenal releasing a statement revealing the defender will undergo surgery and will therefore miss the rest of the season.

In defence, Kiwior can now expect a rare start, while Thomas Partey is set to take on right-back duties once again.

In addition, Jurrien Timber sustained a knee injury during the London derby against Fulham, further complicating the Gunners’ injury woes.

Riccardo Calafiori (knee), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Gabriel Jesus (ACL), and Kai Havertz (hamstring) are all still sidelined. However, after completing 30 minutes in midweek without issue, Saka will likely be in contention for his first start of 2025.

Everton may find themselves without Tarkowski for this match following the PGMOL’s admission that his challenge on Mac Allister deserved a red card. However, the former Burnley player will remain available for selection in the squad.

On the injury front, Orel Mangala (knee), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (thigh), and Dwight McNeil (knee) are still sidelined. However, key forward Iliman Ndiaye has recovered and made a brief appearance during their defeat to Liverpool in the second half.

Moyes may contemplate bringing Ndiaye in for Harrison in the attacking third. Still, the Everton manager seems more likely to keep the same formation, avoiding the temptation to deploy a five-man defensive lineup.

Predicted starting lineup

Everton predicted starting lineup:

Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Doucoure, Alcaraz; Beto.

Arsenal predicted starting lineup:

Raya; Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Nwaneri, Merino, Martinelli.

Prediction

Under David Moyes, Everton have proven to be resilient, going unbeaten for nine matches before their recent loss at Anfield.

The Toffees are likely to put up an intense fight against an Arsenal team dealing with several injuries, who will likely make adjustments with their focus shifting towards their upcoming clash with Real Madrid.

Although Arsenal are still determined to stay in the title race, Arteta’s priority will likely be the first leg of the Champions League tie against Madrid, especially given their 12-point gap to Liverpool. If Everton had managed a positive result at Anfield, Arsenal would have approached Saturday’s match more urgently.

With Moyes instilling a rigid mindset and Gabriel’s absence, Arsenal will face a difficult challenge against the physically demanding Everton, who also excel at protecting their defensive area.

We’re predicting a 1-1 draw.