Arsenal v Everton match predictions: Toffees to defy poor record at Emirates

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Arsenal v Everton in the Premier League on Friday night.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 8pm Friday

Best bet

Everton draw no bet
1pt 11-5 Betfred

Team news

Arsenal
Alexandre Lacazatte and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are out. David Luiz and Kieran Tierney are also absentees. Martin Odegaard is a doubt.

Everton
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Bernard and Yerry Mina are all available. Abdoulaye Doucoure is out.

Match preview

Everton boast a truly horrible record at The Emirates - yet it's not as unattractive as the odds being chalked up next to Arsenal's name.

The Toffees have lost on their last seven visits to Arsenal and last won there in 1996 back when the Gunners were still trotting out at Highbury.

It's been a sorry tale of failure ever since, but there have to be grounds for thinking Everton can at the very least avoid defeat this time.

The season's fast starters have inevitably lost their way a little since that blazing opening to the campaign in which they won their opening seven games in all competitions.

Currently they are on a run of no wins in six, although they have drawn their last three, most recently 2-2 at home to Tottenham, a game they largely bossed. It was only a couple of dodgy defensive mishaps which cost Carlo Ancelotti's men all three points and you have to wonder if there aren’t too many cooks currently with his five-man defence.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's likely return from injury plus the good form of Gylfi Sigurdsson and the chance to put Richarlison back out wide where he's far more purposeful, mean Everton will pack more of a threat and look more balanced and surely encourage the Italian to revert to four at the back.

Whatever formation he prefers, he will be acutely aware that there is little about Arsenal to fluster him or his side.

Yes, the Gunners are unbeaten in four but under former Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta they are still strangely inconsistent and after dropping points against Fulham last time out their only route back into Europe now is surely going to be courtesy of winning the Europa League.

You have to go back to 1995-96 for the last time Arsenal weren't in Europe, which is why next Thursday's trip to Villarreal in the Europa League has now assumed stratospheric importance.

All of which makes odds of 10-11 hard to get excited about. The Gunners haven't won any of their last four home matches and indeed have won just six at home in the league all season long. Everton, in contrast, have won nine on their travels.

They have kept just two clean sheets in their last 17 and even though Arteta is endowed with a healthy-looking squad list on paper and has been in charge for almost 18 months, he rarely sticks to a settled team because he probably doesn't know his best team.

While Arsenal don't inspire confidence, they shouldn't really invite a bet. They've lost at Everton this season and could well go down again.

Key stat

Everton have won nine away games, three more than Arsenal have won at home.

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