Arsenal v Everton: Four defenders out as hosts chase Manchester City

Arsenal must face Everton without four defenders as they chase Manchester City’s three-point lead at the top of the Premier League. Six wins from seven have put the hosts second, but their defensive absences frame Saturday’s Week 8 meeting.

Ben White and Jurriën Timber are both out, removing two right-back options through knee and groin injuries respectively. William Saliba is sidelined with a back injury, while Piero Hincapie has an ankle injury.

The absences extend beyond defence. Forward Christos Tzolis is also ruled out with a hamstring injury, taking Arsenal’s injury list to five players.

Everton are without V. Mykolenko, who is out with a knock. They head into the fixture eight points behind Arsenal, with just one defeat from their opening seven league matches.

Arsenal’s response to their own sole defeat has been two consecutive wins. They followed a 3-0 loss away to Brighton and Hove Albion with a 2-1 home victory over Leeds United, then won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in their latest outing.

That clean sheet was their second in five league matches, a sequence which also included a 2-0 win at Sunderland and a 2-1 home victory over Chelsea. Arsenal have taken 12 points from those five games and sit on 18 points, with a goal difference of plus six.

Manchester City have 21 points from seven matches. The gap gives Arsenal a clear reason to maintain their recent results, even while four defensive players remain unavailable.

Everton’s season has followed a different pattern: two wins, four draws and one defeat have brought 10 points and eighth place. Their goal difference stands at plus one.

A 2-0 home loss to Chelsea last time out ended Everton’s unbeaten start. Before that, they drew 2-2 away to Hull City, beat Ipswich Town 1-0 at home, drew 0-0 at Tottenham Hotspur and shared four goals with Manchester United.

Those results include two clean sheets in their last five games, but Everton now need a response to their first league setback. For Arsenal, the next task is to sustain a two-match winning run with a depleted defence.

Arsenal and Everton kick off at 15:00 BST on Saturday 24 October, in Week 8 of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

Questions

Which Arsenal defenders are out against Everton?

Ben White is out with a knee injury, Jurriën Timber with a groin injury, Piero Hincapie with an ankle injury and William Saliba with a back injury. Forward Christos Tzolis is also unavailable with a hamstring injury.

How far are Arsenal behind the Premier League leaders?

Arsenal are second with 18 points from seven matches, three points behind Manchester City. Everton are eighth with 10 points from seven.

What is a clean sheet?

A clean sheet means a team finishes a match without conceding a goal. Arsenal kept one in their latest match, a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest.

When does Arsenal v Everton kick off?

The match kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday 24 October, in Week 8 of the 2026/27 Premier League season.