Everton v Arsenal preview and possible starting 11s

Wednesday, November 28

Kick-Off: 7.45pm

With both teams drawing at the weekend, Everton and Arsenal will be looking for three points at Goodison Park to continue their push for the fourth Champions League place.

Toffees have hit a blip 

Everton have hit a blip in their form with five draws and one win in their last seven games but will be welcoming back Marouane Fellaini after he missed the weekend's 1-1 draw against Norwich through suspension.

The Belgian has been the influential player for Everton this season so far, with his aerial presence being a key factor at the attacking end for the Toffees.

Fellaini (pictured) has claimed four assists and scored six goals so far and he will almost certainly return to the starting 11 for the Merseysiders.

David Moyes will also be looking for a big performance from his star striker Nikica Jelavic.

The Croatian international striker has scored 14 goals in 25 league games since joining Everton from Rangers in the January transfer window early this year.

Jelavic has proven to be a prolific predator infront of goal, with the ability to finish chances on a regular basis.

Everton will be buoyed by the progress that Kevin Mirallas has made with his hamstring injury and he could be in contention for the game on Wednesday, subject to a late fitness test.

The Toffees could also welcome back Darron Gibson after his recent injury troubles but he might not figure due to a lack of match fitness.

Looking to Cazorla for inspiration 

Arsenal have been somewhat inconsistent of late with 11 points out of the last possible 24 on offer.

This run of form has once again piled the pressure on long-standing boss Arsene Wenger.

In their disappointing 0-0 draw against Aston Villa at the weekend, signs were shown of the fans frustrations at Wenger’s decision making as striker Olivier Giroud was taken off towards the end for defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin.

The fans believed Arsenal should have been pushing for the win and started shouting chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “we want our Arsenal back.”

Wenger will look towards Santi Cazorla for inspiration at Goodison Park on Wednesday as he has been the player who has made Arsenal‘s attacks tick.

The dynamic Spaniard has produced countless key passes and has provided four assists and four goals so far this season and has proved to be a fantastic signing for the Gunners.

New strikers Lukas Podolski and Giroud have both scored four goals in the Premier League this term but they will need to score on a more regular basis if Arsenal are to reach the heights that they would like to this season.

The target for Wenger ultimately will be to qualify for the Champions League via the fourth place finish as the top three positions look to have already been spoken for by Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, but will that be enough for Wenger to keep the fans on side, who are desperately hungry for silverware this season.

The last time the sides met, Arsenal triumphed 1-0 at Goodison Park in March with a Thomas Vermaelen header early in the first half.

This could be the most entertaining clash of the midweek Premier League fixtures. 

Possible line-ups:

Everton: Howard, Baines, Distin, Heitinga, Jagielka, Hitzlsperger, Osman, Pienaar, Naismith, Fellaini, Jelavic.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Arteta, Wilshere, Cazorla, Podolski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud. 

By Kuvan Sidhu