Everton's plans to take on Arsenal at Goodison Park have been hit with a setback after former Manchester United defender Michael Keane was ruled out through injury in the warm up to the match.
Club captain Phil Jagielka was drafted in to replace the England international, who joined the Toffees from Burnley in 2017.
Ex-Barcelona left-back Lucas Digne also suffered a knock to his ankle in the exercises ahead of kick off but remained fit enough to play.
It is Jagielka's first start for 11 months. His last start came against Southampton in May 2018. That game ended in a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
According to the Liverpool Echo , Keane has been ruled out due to an illness, while Arsenal had their own problems in the lead up to the game.
Colombian centre-back Yery Mina is not expected to play for the rest of the season leaving Marco Silva short on fit defenders.
Unai Emery selected Matteo Guendouzi and Mohamed Elneny to start in the absences of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira in midfield.
Playmaker Mesut Ozil was selected to start and was handed the captain's armband to play behind Alexandre Lacazette, the striker chosen to lead the line against Everton.
Victory for the Gunners would send them two points clear of rivals Tottenham Hotspur to move up to third place.
A draw would also see them overtake Spurs even though they would be equal on points and goal difference due to the higher number of goals scored by Arsenal in the league so far this season.
'Can we get serious?' Arsenal fans fume at Unai Emery after team confirmed to face Everton
Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .
Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .
