Mikel Arteta has the luxury of making several changes to the Arsenal starting lineup this weekend

Mikel Arteta could make as many as seven changes to the Arsenal starting lineup this weekend. The Gunners boss will be expected to heavily rotate his side when they host Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, having only just faced Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

Arsenal held the Bavarians to a 2-2 draw in the UEFA Champions League, climbing into the top eight of the table. Although Bayern Munich ended the Gunners' winning streak of 14 games in the 'league phase', spanning three years, they still remain just one of eight unbeaten teams in the competition this term.

Arteta's side may fancy their chances against the Toffees, having just gone toe-to-toe with the Bundesliga champions, but they will only have two days to recharge their batteries. David Moyes, however, has had a full week on the training ground to prepare his players.

Make sure you never miss the latest Arsenal news and opinion by making Football London one of your Google preferred sources.

Everton suffered their first defeat of the Premier League campaign last weekend, losing 2-0 to Chelsea at the Hill Dickinson, so they'll be desperate to return to winning ways. As much as the Arsenal boss would probably like to rest some of his big names, he'll be aware that the visitors have a point to prove.

And, with Manchester City already three points clear at the top of the table, Arteta can't afford to necessarily roll the dice. So, with that being said, football.london has predicted the starting lineup to face the Toffees on Saturday afternoon.

Three new faces at the back

As always, it goes without saying that David Raya must play at every opportunity, with neither Kepa Arrizabalaga nor Illan Meslier at the required level, regardless of the competition or opposition. If Arteta wants to compete for every piece of silverware, they should not feature between the sticks unless there's an injury.

At left-back, Myles Lewis-Skelly should replace Riccardo Calafiori, and, at right-back, Jurrien Timber should make way for Ben White. With William Saliba still out of action, Gabriel Magalhães will have to hold down the fort while Cristhian Mosquera gives Ezri Konsa a much-needed rest.

Spanish takeover in midfield

Whether it's on Saturday afternoon or Tuesday night, when Arsenal play Fleetwood Town in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, Arteta needs to give Declan Rice a rest at some point in the near future, otherwise his hamstrings will look like pulled pork by Christmas.

Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi are no mugs; they should be more than capable of anchoring the midfield against any Premier League team. If they're not, or the Gunners boss has doubts, then what purpose do they have in the squad?

Arteta prepares Dowman super sub

Like Rice, Odegaard needs to be carefully managed ahead of the congested festive period, but benching both this weekend would be a step too far. So, the Arsenal skipper should keep his place in the starting lineup, with Noni Madueke on the right and Eberechi Eze replacing the injured Bukayo Saka.

Max Dowman will also likely have a role to play on Saturday afternoon, with not many other attacking options at Arteta's disposal.

Gyokeres stakes Arsenal claim

Viktor Gyokeres staked a claim for a place in the starting lineup with his performance against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. Kai Havertz was a little off the pace at the Allianz Arena, and, with Everton likely to deploy a low-block – similar to how the German giants set up when Rice combined well with the Swede to equalise – a different profile up top could be refreshing.

Also, if Arteta rewards Gyokeres with a start, it'll do his confidence a world of good, and, hopefully, light a fire beneath his German colleague... Some healthy competition would be great.

Predicted starting lineup to face Everton: David Raya; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera, Ben White; Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi; Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke; Viktor Gyokeres.