Arsenal and the imperative to win

The dream of winning the Premier League is no longer a goal for Arsenal at this point, but don't expect Mikel Arteta's team to give up everything at the end of the season. The Gunners will have to fight hard to play the Champions League quarter-finals against Real Madrid in the middle of next week, but even then, they can't create an opportunity for Everton to rise.

Bukayo Saka returns, Arsenal has more strength in attack Photo: TRIBUNA

Since David Moyes took charge at the beginning of the year, the Scottish coach has been "pulling" Everton out of the quagmire, gradually moving away from the relegation zone. The stumble against arch-rivals Liverpool in the Merseyside derby in midweek was Everton's first defeat after a series of 9 draws and wins in the Premier League, temporarily shaping the dream of staying in the league and determined to climb to the top half of the table.

Having to face the two strongest teams in the league in a row within a few days has put a lot of pressure on coach David Moyes and his team. Goodison Park is a great home ground, where Everton have only lost 4/15 matches here since the beginning of the season.

The problem is that all four of these teams - Brighton, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa - are below Arsenal and Arsenal themselves are very lucky in away matches (6 wins, 3 draws in the last 10 matches), so the possibility of Everton suffering their 5th defeat at Goodison Park is extremely high.

On a day when many former Gunners like Emile Smith Rowe, Bernd Leno, Willian and Alex Iwobi meet their old teammates, they will have to be especially wary of Bukayo Saka - a talented young face who can cause terror for the home team. Saka has only returned since the beginning of 2025 but only took a few minutes on the pitch to tear the Fulham net in midweek.

The combination of the Saka - Merino - Martinelli trio in the "Gunners" attack line could promise a favorable score for the away team. However, it is still possible that coach Mikel Arteta - a former Everton player - will rotate his squad to prepare for the European Cup against Real Madrid - the only front where Arsenal still hopes to find a title this season.

Arteta and his team are both playing and keeping their foot on the European Cup, which will be an opportunity for Everton to change and keep at least 1 point at home.

Premier League match schedule on the night of April 5:

Everton - Arsenal (18:30); Crystal Palace - Brighton, Ipswich Town - Wolverhampton, West Ham - Bournemouth (21:00); Aston Villa - Nottingham Forest (23:30).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/arsenal-va-menh-lenh-phai-thang-196250404211328044.htm