by Nia Griffiths
Roberto Martinez has insisted that Everton are ready to take whatever Arsenal throw at them – including Petr Cech.
The Everton boss has spoken ahead of their tie with us in the Barlays Asia Trophy on Saturday. The team previously faced Stoke City and only came away with a 0-0 draw, while we won 4-0 against Singapore Select XI. However, facing Premier League opposition will be a great chance for both teams to really assess where they are in terms of progress so far and what they need to do to prepare for the upcoming season.
“This is the preseason, the main purpose of which is to raise the fitness levels of our players going into the start of the season,” Martinez said. “It is great to be able to play Premier League opposition and Stoke gave us a tough game on Wednesday. We are now ready to take on Arsenal. Ultimately, we are here to win.”
On facing our new goalkeeper, Cech, the manager insists his team are ready, saying, “Sometimes, the new season throws up such situations. Players who have been associated with a club for many years suddenly move to a rival and this will take getting used to.
He added, “But we are ready to face a full Arsenal side including Cech.”
Although we managed to bag a 2-0 win against the Toffees at home last March in the Premier League, in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season, we only managed to come back and scrape a 2-2 draw after going two goals down. Facing the Blues is never easy so the match on Saturday should be interesting to say the least.