Arsenal have an opportunity to draw level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City when they host Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners enter the 3pm fixture in second place with 18 points from seven matches, three behind City, who were facing Aston Villa in the day's early kick-off.

Mikel Arteta's side have won six of their opening seven league matches and lost once.

They have scored 11 goals and conceded five, giving them a goal difference of +6.

Victory over Everton would take Arsenal to 21 points, matching City's total before the outcome of the leaders' match is considered.

The Gunners will nevertheless need to overcome an Everton side that has proved difficult to beat despite struggling to turn draws into victories.

Everton occupy ninth place with 10 points from seven matches. They have recorded two wins, four draws and one defeat, scoring eight goals and conceding seven.

Their four draws have restricted their progress, but the Toffees have remained competitive in most of their opening fixtures.

A positive result in north London would provide Everton with an opportunity to move closer to the teams above them, while also denying Arsenal the chance to strengthen their position in the title race.

The match also comes at an important stage of the early campaign, with the standings beginning to separate the leading contenders from the rest of the division.

Arsenal will be aiming to make home advantage count, knowing that dropping points could allow other teams in the top four to gain ground.

With City already in action, the result at the Emirates could have a direct bearing on the contest at the summit of the Premier League.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/scores-fixtures