A new era begins at Everton on Saturday as Sean Dyche begins his bid to save the Toffees from relegation - starting with a home game against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The game is huge for both clubs; Everton is two points behind the bottom three after being winless since October, while Arsenal has an eight-point lead at the top if they manage to win eight of their nine league games.
The Gunners claiming all three points will mark their 100th league wins over Everton - a feat no other club in the English Football League has matched any other.
Date, start time, and location
Everton vs Arsenal is scheduled to kick off at 12:30 GMT on Saturday 4 February 2023.
The game will take place at Goodison Park on Merseyside.
Everton vs Arsenal squad news
Dyche will be without Andros Townsend and Nathan Patterson due to injury with James Garner, Michael Keane, and Ben Godfrey. It remains to be seen whether free agent target Andre Ayew can be signed and registered in time.
Often referred to as football's ultimate pragmatist, the new boss is likely to ditch Frank Lampard's 3-4-3 in favor of a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.
Former Burnley star Dwight McNeill could be recalled to the squad but Everton's slim squad makes major personnel changes unlikely.
Jorginho should go straight into the Arsenal line-up for a possible debut off the bench unless Thomas Partey can overcome a knock on the ribs, in which case he will likely start.
Gabriel Jesus, Reiss Nelson, and Mohamed Elneny are expected to miss out, while Cedric Soares and Albert Sambi Lokonga are away on deadline day. Emil Smith Rowe missed last weekend as a precaution to stay fit.
Arsenal vs Everton prediction
It will be a good start for Dyche if he can get a result against the leaders, but Goodison's problems run deep and Arsenal are in fine form.
Arsenal win 3-1.
Head-to-head (h2h) history and results.
The Gunners' 5-1 win on the last day of last season ended a three-game losing streak against the Caramels. They have not beaten Everton on the road in their last four attempts, which started in October 2017.
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