Arsenal vs Everton preview: How to watch, predicted lineups, score prediction & injury updates

Arsenal host Everton in the Premier League on Friday evening at a time where actual football is arguably the last thing on supporters’ minds. Here is the match preview.

It’s vital at this stage to remember who is culpable for what. It’s not secret that Arsenal’s crooked KSE ownership have been the harbingers of this shambolic move to create a breakaway Super League, one that left club staff and players completely in the dark.

Emerging from the darkness on Sunday evening, by the time the entire project to ‘save football’ had been consigned to nothing but scorched rubble, Mikel Arteta hadn’t even been left hung out to dry to discuss the matter in his press conference.

He would’ve been the first line of contact, too, with no member of the club prepared to champion their glorious plan, not least an owner whose name didn’t appear on the grovelling apology.

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Arsenal vs Everton: Premier League preview ahead of fixture with #KroenkeOut backdrop

While Arteta will certainly be quizzed on the matter, his full attention can turn to hosting an Everton side chasing European ambitions this season.

Vinai Venkatesham addressed the team and playing staff on Wednesday during training to outline his and the club’s reasonings behind this failed coup, while also expressing his upmost plzz forgive us we is so soweee at the events which left all within the club in complete disarray and uncertainty for 48 hours.

Will it be playing on their minds? Nobody can blame them for feeling disillusioned and disrespected by their employers, but from a totally footballing perspective, welcoming the Toffees won’t be easy either.

Everton sit one place above Arsenal in eighth, and while they haven’t tasted victory in any of their previous six outings in all competitions, they still pose a genuine threat. Arsenal head into this fixture off the back of a weak 1-1 display with Fulham, and their entire season rides on what comes six days later in the Europa League.

How to Watch on TV

When Is Kick Off? Friday 23 April
What Time Is Kick Off? 20:00 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Emirates Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports (UK) fuboTV (USA)
Referee? Jonathan Moss

Arsenal Team News vs Everton

After a whirlwind 48 hours unlike any ever witnessed in the sport, or at least in most peoples’ lifetimes, you’d be forgiven for forgetting how the team was shaping up ahead of their next fixture.

The main one is Alexandre Lacazette, who was due for a scan on Tuesday to determine the outcome of his worrying hamstring injury suffered against Fulham. Arsenal likely would have issued an update on the matter on the day, but given the outpouring of anger across social media and elsewhere, that was left until Wednesday.

Following the update, the news was very reassuring. Expected to be weeks, it appears as if he only suffered a grade 1 tear, and is in the running to feature against Villarreal in Spain.

At the back it’s still the same duo missing as David Luiz and Kieran Tierney continue their respective rehabilitation, with Granit Xhaka in line to start his fourth consecutive match at left-back and Rob Holding keeping his place in central defence.

There were no fresh injury concerns from the Fulham draw, although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues his recovery from malaria.

A media blackout, of sorts, had left supporters in the dark over his recovery as while the disease can leave the body fairly quickly with the right treatment, the lasting effects of it on the individual can see recovery time extended. As per the update, he will resume training later in the week.

In terms of the visitors, Carlo Ancelotti is sweating on the fitness of a number of key stars. Fabian Delph, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Bernard, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Andre Gomes are all expected to miss out on Friday, with striker and top scorer Calvert-Lewin perhaps the biggest loss of all.

Despite their absentees, they secured a 2-2 draw with Tottenham last time out.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Everton

Arsenal: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Xhaka; Ceballos, Partey, Smith Rowe, Saka, Pepe, Nketiah

Everton: Pickford; Godfrey, Keane, Holgate, Digne; Iwobi, Allan, Davies, Rodriguez, Sigurdsson; Richarlison

Arsenal vs Everton Score Prediction

No ifs, buts, or maybes, the Premier League season is well and truly over for Arsenal. What they’re playing for now is finishing as high as possible – potentially above Tottenham – and staying as fresh as they can be for the Europa League semi-finals with Villarreal.

Win on Friday and they move above Everton into eighth and one point behind Sp*rs, albeit having played two and one more fixtures than the aforementioned duo.

Momentum. It’s all about momentum.

It will nonetheless be interesting to see what impact the protests scheduled for outside the Emirates Stadium prior to kick-off will have on the squad. Hornsey Road roundabout will be packed with fans calling for KSE to sell up and leave with immediate effect, and the media coverage and even noise will surely reverberate deep inside the stadium.

Even Jack Wilshere is rumoured to be joining in, with Ian Wright already voicing his opinion.

As for the game itself, a depleted Everton side still boasting quality but in a dire stretch of form present Arsenal with the chance to beat a side above them in the table – and build vital confidence heading into the first leg away at Villarreal.

That’s what matters most at present – even if we’re yet to find out whether Arsenal will be permitted entry into next season’s European competition – but the players will only focus on themselves. They need a performance that visualises their stance in having nothing to do with the turmoil up in the board room.

However, missing Aubameyang as well as Lacazette will make their challenge tougher.

Score Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Everton

And potentially…. Fans 2-0 Owner