Roberto Martínez has no doubt his Everton side will face an Arsenal team who are mentally prepared for the assignment on Sunday despite the hefty blow they suffered with a 3-1 home loss to Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“I don’t think Arsenal will suffer from a psychological setback after what happened in their last game,” Martínez said. “They have incredible experience in these sorts of games.”
Everton’s fortunes were markedly different, having comfortably completed a 7-2 aggregate Europa League victory over Young Boys by seeing them off 3-1 at Goodison Park on Thursday to advance into the Europa League last 16. But Martínez is not underestimating the benefit an extra day’s worth of preparation will have for Arsenal. “It is true that an extra 24 hours in terms of recovery makes a big difference,” he said.
“We need to make sure we are fully fit and refreshed. We expect an Arsenal fully focused on trying to carry on the outstanding form they have in the league.
“Arsenal have only had one home league defeat and we know we have a real difficult task in front of us. But at the same time, after our result last weekend, we are desperate to perform well and get a good result.”