Arsenal vs Everton preview - Santos missing for Gunners

Posted Saturday, December 10, 2011 by PA

Arsenal will be without Andre Santos for their Barclays Premier League game against Everton after the Brazil full-back suffered an ankle injury in the midweek Champions League defeat at Olympiacos.

Goalkeepers Lukasz Fabianski (knee) and Vito Mannone (shoulder) also picked up injuries in Greece, so veteran Manuel Almunia will make a rare return to the first-team squad.

Captain Robin van Persie was rested in midweek, along with several other key men, but midfielders Abou Diaby (hamstring) and Ryo Miyaichi (ankle) are still out, along with defenders Carl Jenkinson (back), Kieran Gibbs (hernia) and Bacary Sagna (ankle), while midfielder Jack Wilshere (ankle) is not expected back until the new year.

Striker Gervinho, who is set to start, has admitted he would be lost without football.

The 24-year-old joined from French champions Lille in the summer and has impressed during his short time in north London.

Gervinho hails from the Ivory Coast in west Africa, which in recent times has produced the likes of Salomon Kalou, Emmanuel Eboue and the Toure brothers - Kolo and Yaya.

The aforementioned are all graduates of the country's prestigious Jean-Marc Guillou academy and Gervinho admits he would have struggled without playing the game.

"I don't know what I would have done had I not become a footballer," Gervinho told the club's official website. "I've always wanted to do that, even when my family would try to stop me playing football so that I went to school. They wanted me to go to a normal school. They felt it was a bit risky as the academy was new and not really known. "I had to bring someone who had faith in my skills to convince them.

"I started playing at my local estate club. I used to wake up every morning to go to play in the club. I loved it so much, it brought a lot of wonderful things in my life. Back in the days, being able to join the Jean-Marc Guillou academy was one of the best things that could happen to a youngster from Ivory Coast. There were thousands of kids who wanted to join that school so it was a great feeling for me."

Everton boss David Moyes will once again be without midfielder Jack Rodwell.

Moyes has revealed Rodwell, who only made his comeback from a rib injury last weekend as a substitute in the 1-0 loss to Stoke, will not feature at the Emirates Stadium due to a hamstring problem he picked up in training on Thursday.

Fellow midfielders Leon Osman (hamstring) and Royston Drenthe (foot) will be assessed ahead of kick-off, while Moyes is hopeful striker Louis Saha will be able to return after a thigh complaint.

Midfielder Tim Cahill insists he is not concerned about his current goal drought and is confident his scoring form will return.

The Australia international has not found the net for the Toffees since last December.

For a player who has scored his fair share of goals at club and international level - 65 in 251 appearances for Everton and 57 in 250 for Millwall - it has been a frustrating time.

However, Cahill, just turned 32, is determined to keep plugging away in search of that elusive breakthrough.

"I feel good in games and the goal will come - if it doesn't then that's football," he said. "That is the biggest test that is thrown at you.

"As long as I am contributing I don't always have to be the one that scores. If I am setting people up and I am making that one extra run or tackle it might make a difference."