Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hailed the transformation of Everton under Sean Dyche and is hoping his old club can do him a massive favour against Manchester City.
Everton finds themselves battling relegation for the second season running. However, their survival hopes were boosted by a huge 5-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday evening.
Sean Dyche’s side return to action this afternoon, knowing a victory over City at Goodison Park would move them one step closer to survival. Arteta’s side find themselves one point behind the Etihad club in the race for the title, although the Gunners have played a game more.
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And Arteta, who made 209 appearances during a six-and-a-half-year spell at Goodison as a player, is hoping his former club can not only move a step closer to safety but do his side a favour in their bid to be crowned champions against City.
He said: "Obviously, they are playing for their life right now and you could see that against Brighton. Sean has instilled that belief again and that cohesion around the team and the fans to create something special.
"As a huge Everton fan, I want the best for them, and that’s not going to change this weekend.
"The way they are competing every single week, they had some very good results and some others that deserved more. They have been really, really competitive in the last few months."
Asked about his side’s title race with City, Arteta said: "We are going to continue to dig — dig, dig, dig, dig — and maybe the prize is there.
"We don’t know if it’s there [points one way] or there [points another], but we are going to continue to dig just in case it is where we can get to and make sure that we can do our best.
"The stakes are huge, and we are full of enthusiasm to get that prize in the best possible way.
"To do that, we have to win our matches, and the first one is Brighton, and they are fighting for something very important. That is what is going to make it really complicated."
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