Arsenal drop double early team news hint for Everton clash with Premier League title on the line

Arsenal are just hours away from their final game of the 2023/24 season where the Premier League title will be decided. The Gunners welcome Everton to Emirates Stadium while Manchester City host West Ham and a victory for the reigning champions will see them crowned title winners for the fourth consecutive campaign.

Two points currently separate both teams which means if West Ham are able to take points off City, Arsenal must beat Everton simply by any margin because of their superior goal difference. Given Pep Guardiola's side have won eight league fixture on the spin, the north Londoners are in need of a miracle to win the league.

Nonetheless, belief is strong in the Arsenal camp with head coach Mikel Arteta suggesting his players are optimistic about their chance. "I do [sense optimism]. Around the building. Jesus, we are in the last day of the season playing for the Premier League," he said in a press conference.

"The Premier League trophy hasn’t been at the Emirates yet and it was built almost 20 years ago. That’s a long, long time. We have to be very optimistic. The trophy is going to be there and it’s possible we have to do our duties and then we wait and see what happens."

Arteta has relied on a core group for much of the season but that has now seemingly changed to just 11 players with an unchanged starting line-up named in Arsenal's last four games. Leandro Trossard and Takehiro Tomiyasu have been the late additions to the consistent starters with both players proving their worth emphatically to Arteta.

Trossard has scored in four of the last five games while Tomiyasu has helped solidify arguably Arsenal's weakest area at left-back. Barring any injury concerns it will likely be a repeat of the last few weeks with Arsenal hinting at elements of that ahead of the clash against Everton.

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On X (formerly Twitter) Arsenal posted their usual pre-match graphic which placed Trossard and Declan Rice in the centre celebrating the former's goal against Bournemouth earlier this month.

The duo's appearance almost undoubtedly confirms they will be in the starting XI as players often used to promote the fixture will have been given a prominent role. Rice, like Trossard over the last few weeks, has also been among the goals with the addition of Thomas Partey in midfield allowing him to advance forward.

As a result of that tactical tweak, Rice has scored seven goals and grabbed 10 assists in Premier League action this season. Given how resolute Everton have been as a defence this season, Arteta will certainly need Rice to break down Sean Dyche's time on their way to what they will hope is the Premier League title.