"The Gunners will have a point to prove" β Chris Sutton predicts result of Premier League clash between Arsenal and Everton
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has predicted a 2-0 victory for Arsenal in their Premier League clash against a struggling Everton side at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday (March 1).
The Gunners are currently atop the 2022-23 Premier League table with 57 points from 24 matches, just two points ahead of Manchester City. After failing to register a single win in three matches at the start of February, Mikel Arteta's side have picked up all six points in their last two games.
Everton, on the other hand, have been in erratic form since Sean Dyche's arrival at the helm last month. He started off his new coaching chapter with a shock 1-0 win over the north London outfit earlier this month. However, Dyche has now guided his team to two defeats in their last three as they sit 18th in the table.
In his column for the BBC, Sutton shared his thoughts on Everton's ongoing struggles and pinpointed their lack of an in-form striker. He wrote:
"Everton gave Aston Villa a decent game on Saturday but they fell back into the bottom three after being beaten, and their big issue is still that they are so short of firepower. I saw a tweet from BBC writer Phil McNulty about how the Toffees' failure to sign a striker could come back to haunt them, and it's clear that Dominic Calvert-Lewin will have a crucial part to play if they are going to stay up."
Backing Arsenal to register their third straight win, Sutton added:
"I don't see Everton getting near the goal often on Wednesday. Arsenal have bounced back superbly from their defeat to Manchester City with two wins from two tough away games, against Villa and then Leicester. The Gunners will have a point to prove after losing at Goodison Park at the start of February β in Sean Dyche's first game in charge β and I don't see them having any problems this time."
Arsenal sent warning about 23-year-old ace
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks has shared his thoughts on Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah's recent drop in form in the Premier League. Writing in his BBC Team of the Week column, he opined:
"Arsenal must get Nketiah β who has gone off the boil β back to form if they intend to keep a hand on the Premier League title."
Nketiah, who has scored four goals in 22 league games so far, showed signs of promise after stepping into the injured Gabriel Jesus' boots in January. He scored four times in his first five games after the mid-season break before going on a five-match goal drought since the start of February.