Everton hoping to have a couple of players back for Arsenal clash

Posted Friday, December 20, 2019 by PA

Everton caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson is hopeful of having a couple of players back for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal.

The Toffees have been battling something of an injury crisis, while a bug has also affected a number of players.

Theo Walcott, Morgan Schneiderlin, Lucas Digne, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Djibril Sidibe and Fabian Delph all missed the midweek Carabao Cup defeat by Leicester while Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Andre Gomes are long-term absentees.

Arsenal will check on the fitness of Mesut Ozil ahead of Saturday’s trip to Everton, after he sustained an injury to his right foot during the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last weekend.

Hector Bellerin (hamstring) and Rob Holding (knee) will also be assessed, but Granit Xhaka will be available after he sustained concussion at West Ham two weeks ago.

Kieran Tierney (dislocated shoulder) is a long-term absentee and fellow left-back Sead Kolasinac will be out until January after suffering ankle ligament damage, but while Dani Ceballos will miss the Everton clash, he is expected to train next week following a hamstring problem.

To compound the Gunners’ problems, Sokratis Papastathopoulos is banned for this fixture after receiving his fifth yellow card in the Premier League this season in the loss at home to City.

Arsenal provisional squad: Leno, Martinez, Bellerin, Chambers, Luiz, Mustafi, Guendouzi, Torreira, Xhaka, Willock, Maitland-Niles, Smith Rowe, Saka, Nelson, Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang, Martinelli.

Everton provisional squad: Pickford, Sidibe, Holgate, Keane, Coleman,
Davies, Bernard, Delph, Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Lossl, Baines, Mina,
Tosun, Kean, Calvert-Lewin, Niasse, Gordon, Martina.