Everton will look to return to winning ways in the Premier League today. The Blues welcome second-placed Arsenal to Goodison Park on the back of Wednesday's Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool.
David Moyes' men went down 1-0 at Anfield after Diogo Jota's 57th-minute goal was allowed to stand despite calls for offside.
But any frustration Everton still feel will have to be forgotten about come 12.30pm this afternoon. They will have to be at their very best to get anything from the second-placed Gunners, who remain the only team with any chance of catching Liverpool at the top.
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So how should Blues boss Moyes play it? Keep the same side that played well for 45 minutes in midweek but didn't do enough in the second half? Or freshen things up for what it is the fourth-last game at Goodison Park as the countdown to the emotional departure from the Grand Old Lady continues.
Our Everton writers have their say...
Joe Thomas
Carlos Alcaraz has to play in the middle for me. His talent feels a bit wasted on the left, and Everton’s central midfield has become a bit stolid in recent games.
If Iliman Ndiaye is fit to start then that would be an added boost as he could slot onto the left and add some dynamism there. I would then put Jack Harrison on the right, which is the only option if Jesper Lindstrom continues to be hampered by his thigh.
There was so much promise in the first hour of the Merseyside derby and it came from the counter attacks being sprung from deep. I thought James Garner did okay at Anfield and had a bit more aggression that allowed him to break up play that bit more. I would, therefore, keep him alongside Idrissa Gueye.
Beto has missed a lot of big chances in recent games but he starts this one for me, even if there is increasing competition from Armando Broja. He is quick, physical and chaotic and I think he has the potential to unnerve Arsenal’s defence in the same way he did Liverpool’s.
That is particularly important given Arsenal lost the hugely influential Gabriel in midweek and, with doubts over Jurien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White, this is a good time to strike against a side that may also have to accept its title chase is now over.
The above is another reason why I like the idea of Abdoulaye Doucoure on the bench. If Alcaraz isn’t providing the control or threat Everton need, Doucoure coming on against tiring legs could be quite a potent weapon, adding more chaos for the visitors to deal with.
My team (4-5-1): Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Alcaraz, Gueye, Ndiaye; Beto.
Chris Beesley
Everton were without their top scorer and talisman Iliman Ndiaye for the full seven weeks between this season’s Merseyside derbies but after his return off the bench on Wednesday night, hopefully the Senegal international is now fit to start against Arsenal.
Having tackled their table-topping neighbours in their most intensive fixture of any campaign, the Blues kick-off against the Gunners less than 63 hours after the full-time whistle blew across Stanley Park.
Just how much will that energy-sapping encounter have taken out of David Moyes’ men? Only he and his staff at Finch Farm will truly know.
If Ndiaye is deemed ready to take his place, it may require a reshuffle in terms of the team’s shape. Jack Harrison, who has endured a difficult second season on loan from Leeds United, struggled to produce any end product against Arne Slot’s side so he would be the one to make way for me, and while sticking Ndiaye on the right wing would cause the least disruption, if the £15million signing from Olympique Marseille goes back to his usual role on the left, Carlos Alcaraz could potentially swap sides to fill what has been a problem position this term.
Another possible option would be sticking James Garner wide right and putting the Argentinian into the middle, either in his deeper role or as ‘number 10’ with Abdoulaye Doucoure moving back, but this is more disruptive to the shape of the team.
While Beto continues to get on the end of plenty of chances in a manner which Dominic Calvert-Lewin often struggled, the goals have dried up of late with hitting the post against Liverpool, the latest in a series of significant spurned opportunities having earlier bagged five in four games.
Hopefully that earlier hot streak shows what he can do though and while Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti are now fit again to provide alternatives, neither of them have yet to find the net for the club so I would stick with the Equatorial Guinea international for now.
My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Doucoure, Alcaraz; Beto.
