Barclays Premier League
Venue: Emirates Stadium Date: Saturday, 9 January 2009 Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, full match commentary on BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8FM, 1485MW and DAB, Final Score & highlights on Match of the Day
TEAM NEWS
**Arsenal midfielder Denilson has recovered from a back complaint, while Tomas Rosicky (groin) and Andrey Arshavin (foot) are also available.**But captain Cesc Fabregas is ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Everton may hand on-loan LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan his debut to boost their attacking options.
Fellow striker Louis Saha is doubtful with a hamstring injury, Jo is absent through club suspension and Yakubu is on international duty.
Arsenal
**Suspended: **None Doubtful: None
Injured/unavailable: Bendtner (groin), Clichy (back), Djourou (knee), Eboue & Song (both Africa Cup of Nations), Fabregas & Wilshere (both hamstring), Gibbs (foot), Van Persie (ankle), Walcott (side strain)
Everton
**Suspended: **None Doubtful: Saha (hamstring)
Injured/unavailable: Anichebe (knee), Arteta (knee), Distin & Gosling (both hamstring), Jagielka (knee), Rodwell (hamstring), Jo (club suspension), Yakubu & Yobo (both Africa Cup of Nations)
MATCH PREVIEW
The bad weather may have put the freeze on Arsenal’s title charge, but the Gunners will be confident of keeping the pressure on leaders Chelsea by taking maximum points against Everton on Saturday.
“Arsenal are a very good team playing very well right now… I would hope to play and it would be a great experience but I’m here to help this team win, whatever that takes”
Everton striker Landon Donovan
Arsene Wenger’s side would have cut Chelsea’s lead to just one point had they beaten Bolton in Wednesday’s postponed fixture. And they will be desperate to see Saturday’s game fulfilled to avoid losing further momentum.
Arsenal began the season with a 6-1 thumping of David Moyes’s side, but by the end of November their title hopes appeared to be over following a run of defeats that left them 11 points off the pace. Six weeks later and the picture looks very different.
The Gunners go into Saturday’s match top of the Premier League’s form guide having taken 16 points from a possible 18.
Injuries to Robin van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott may have left Wenger’s squad light up front, but they have scored more goals at home than any other team in the division and have not lost at home to Everton since January 1996.
The Merseyside club have never really recovered from that opening day humiliation, but a recent upturn in fortune sees them head to the Emirates on a five-game unbeaten run in the league.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• The Gunners have won 12 and drawn one of their last 13 league encounters with Everton at the Emirates and Highbury.
• Everton’s biggest defeats in the Premier League have both come at the hands of Arsenal - a 7-0 loss at Highbury in May 2005 and this season’s 6-1 defeat at Goodison.
606: DEBATE
Have your say on this match
Arsenal
• The Gunners have won their last four league and cup games, scoring 12 goals and conceding two.
• Arsenal have won their last three at the Emirates without conceding a goal. The last player to score on Arsenal turf was Didier Drogba in Chelsea’s 3-0 win on 29 November.
• Eduardo has scored three goals in his last four matches, having failed to net in the previous 10 games.
Everton
• The Merseyside club are unbeaten in five in the league, but they have won only one of those.
• Everton have not won away from home in the league since a 2-1 win at West Ham in early November.
• Louis Saha has scored 98 league goals in England.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
Arsenal
Fabregas: 12 goals (9 league);
Van Persie: 8 goals (7 league); Arshavin: 8 goals (6 league)
Everton
Saha: 12 goals (10 league);
Bilyaletdinov: 4 goals (3 league), Cahill: 4 goals (2 league)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Peter Walton
Assistant referees: Nigel Bannister & Simon Beck
Fourth official: Andy D’Urso
LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
**Arsenal (W3-0 v Aston Villa, h): **Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Vermaelen, Traore, Song, Denilson (Fabregas 57) (Ramsey 84), Nasri, Diaby, Eduardo (Walcott 63), Arshavin. Substitutes not used: Fabianski, Vela, Silvestre, Eboue.
**Everton **(W2-0 v Burnley, h): Howard; Hibbert, Heitinga, Neill, Baines, Bilyaletdinov (Vaughan 81), Osman, Fellaini, Pienaar, Cahill (Neville 60), Yakubu. Subs not used: Nash, Coleman, Duffy, Agard, Baxter.
MOST RECENT MEETING
Everton 1-6 Arsenal (15 August 2009)](http://www.paklinks.com/sport2/low/football/eng_prem/8199120.stm)
Everton scorer: Saha 90.
Arsenal scorers: Denilson 26, Vermaelen 37, Gallas 41, Fabregas 48 & 69, Eduardo 89.