Matchweek 8 brings Arsenal against Everton on 24 October 2026 at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal sit second with 18 points from seven games, three points behind Manchester City and need consistent home results to stay in touch at the top, whereas Everton are eighth on 10 points from the same number of games, here looking for mid table consolidation amid an ownership transition that has left them with limited squad depth.
Arteta has been in charge at Arsenal since December 2019 and has generally had the better of Moyes in recent meetings, with Moyes now in his second spell at Everton, making this another meeting between two managers who know each other's tendencies well.
Arsenal arrive in good form, winning four of their last five, including a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on 18 October 2026 and a 2-1 win over Leeds on 10 October that showed their ability to grind results when needed. Everton's five match run reads D D W D L, their latest result a 0-2 defeat at Chelsea on 17 October that exposed how vulnerable they become against teams that press high and sustain it.
Arsenal are without William Saliba (back injury) and carrying a doubt over Bukayo Saka (thigh/quad), which forces adjustments in central defence and across the wide areas. Everton have no fresh injury concerns, though their thin squad remains a worry as the ownership situation continues to drag on. Arteta will lean on Odegaard's creativity and Declan Rice's midfield control to compensate for the absences, while Moyes will look to James Tarkowski for defensive organisation and Jack Grealish, on loan, as the most likely outlet when Everton win possession back.
The back line may show some hesitation in distribution without Saliba, though Odegaard and Rice should still control the tempo in possession phases. If Saka doesn't make it, whoever starts on the right needs to match the same intensity in wide duels or Everton will gladly sit on that side. Everton will look to limit space and use Grealish when they win the ball back and the real question is whether Rice can prevent Everton from compressing the space between the lines before Arsenal's attacking runners arrive. Their 0-2 loss at Chelsea showed that their shape does eventually buckle under sustained pressure and Everton's thin squad only compounds that risk if Arsenal keep the tempo high across both halves.
Arsenal have dominated this fixture in recent years, with Everton winless in seven or more meetings at this level and the most recent league encounter at the Emirates ending 2-0 to the hosts.
Arsenal 3-0 Everton. Despite the absences of Saliba and Saka, Odegaard dropping between the lines and Rice driving late into space should carve open enough of Everton's shape to be decisive. Sustained pressure looks likely to produce goals and Rice's control combined with Odegaard's vision should prise open spaces that Everton's compact shape struggles to cover over ninety minutes. A clean sheet looks realistic given how poorly Everton have fared against high pressing sides recently.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
