Arsenal is gearing up for their return to Premier League action this Sunday, traveling to Merseyside to face Everton after the first international break of the new season. As they prepare to resume Premier League action, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta faces some challenging decisions, aiming to break his team's less-than-stellar record at Goodison Park in recent years.
The Gunners have faced a challenging stretch, having not secured a victory in their last five visits to the blue half of Stanley Park. To put the duration of this winless streak into perspective, it's worth noting that Wayne Rooney managed to find the back of the net for Everton during Arsenal's most recent triumph at Goodison Park, a match that took place back in October 2017.
However, when looking at the overall history of the rivalry between Arsenal and Everton, it becomes apparent that it has been somewhat one-sided. In the annals of English league football, no team can match Arsenal's impressive record of a century of victories against Everton, with only 43 draws and 61 losses to mar their dominance.
Here is the XI that Mikel Arteta might deploy on Sunday, with the aim of securing victory number 101:
GK: Aaron Ramsdale - The question of when David Raya will have his chance to stand guard at Arsenal's goal in the Premier League remains unanswered.
RB: Ben White - Among the trio of players lined up for new contracts, White could be the next young talent to pledge his future to Arsenal.
CB: William Saliba - Despite representing back-to-back World Cup finalists France, Saliba returns to Arsenal after experiencing his fourth loss in ten international caps.
CB: Gabriel - Riding high on the confidence of his first senior international caps, Brazil's latest center-back is expected to maintain his place at the club level.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko - While much attention was paid to Harry Maguire's embrace of Marc Guehi instead of marking a Ukrainian player, Zinchenko managed to slip past his clubmate Declan Rice to put his nation 1-0 ahead against England last weekend.
CM: Martin Odegaard - Reflecting on his Real Madrid presentation, where he wore a hastily chosen striped top, Odegaard humorously noted that he looked like "a random school kid they just pulled from the stadium tour."
CM: Declan Rice - After a growth spurt during his teenage years, Rice candidly admits that he lost some of the coordination and control that define his game today, likening himself to "Bambi on ice."
CM: Kai Havertz - In the previous season, Havertz was caught offside more than any other player. However, this season, he has only triggered the assistant's flag twice.
RW: Bukayo Saka - Despite dealing with a sore Achilles tendon since at least last June, Saka has managed to remain a constant presence on the pitch for Arsenal over the past two years.
ST: Gabriel Jesus - With an impressive average of a goal every 71 minutes, Jesus has found the net eight times in nine top-flight appearances against Everton.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli - A dynamic duo alongside Saka, the Brazilian and Saka have collectively made 352 touches in the attacking third this season. Remarkably, this surpasses the entire Nottingham Forest team, which has registered only 361 such touches.
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