Both sides have shown massive improvement after the slow start to the season, with the game at Emirates a perfect opportunity to continue their climb in the Premier League standings.

Arsenal have done brilliantly to recover from all the problems they had experienced in the summer and the team are again playing with a lot of confidence.

Having picked up 19 points from last 7 league games, the Gunners returned to the running for the top 4 place and now sit just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Given that Arsene Wenger’s side are playing beautiful football at the moment, maybe this is the right time to back the Gunners to achieve a top 4 finish, at odds of 2.38 (11/8) offered by Stan James.

The French boss managed to rest his key players in the Champions League game against Olympiakos, although Andre Santos picked up an injury in Greece, leaving Wenger really short of options at the back.

With Sagna, Gibbs and Jenkinson also sidelined, everything suggests that Arsenal’s back line will feature four centre-backs.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Szczesny – Djourou, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen – Arteta, Song, Ramsey – Walcott, Van Persie, Gervinho.

Everton traditionally struggle in the first part to the season, so nobody was surprised to see David Moyes’ side make quite a few slip ups in the early stages of the league campaign.

Back to back wins over Wolverhampton and Bolton hinted that the Toffees were set to return to the right track, but the home defeat to Stoke served as a major blow for the players’ confidence.

Everton now sit in 10th place, but they are much closer to the bottom three than the top four, and the Toffees have little to hope for before the clash with in-form Arsenal.

While largely struggling at home, Everton managed to win two of their last three away games, whereas they scored in every one of the last four, so you might want to consider backing the visitors to score at odds of 1.62 (8/13) offered by Ladbrokes.

Victor Anichebe continues to miss out, but Louis Saha and Royston Drenthe are both fitness doubts. Jack Rodwell is expected to come in for Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-1-1): Howard – Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines – Coleman, Fellaini, Rodwell, Osman – Cahill – Saha.