Everton Manager Challenges Arsenal Ahead of Emirates Test

Everton manager Roberto Martinez insists that his Everton side will be ready to take on league leaders Arsenal when the Toffees travel to the Emirates stadium on Sunday.

Everton have hit a rich vein of form, having lost only one game so far this season, against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. In the meantime, they have beaten Chelsea at Goodison Park, drawn with Liverpool and secured a historic 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Bryan Oviedo scored the winner for Everton in Manchester, taking them five points clear of the defending Champions. A win here will take them level on points with Chelsea and Liverpool and closer to securing a place in the top four.

However, the Gunners have not been in bad form either, winning 11 of their last 14 games in the league with their two losses coming against Manchester United and Aston Villa. Arsenal have the best defensive record in the league, having conceded only 10 goals this season. Their midfield is arguably the best in the league, with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere competing for places. Martinez's team need to be at their best to secure a win against the title challengers.

"I don't think we've played with fear at all this season. We beat Chelsea at home and to beat Manchester United away showed an incredible improvement to our performance from Manchester City. I felt when we went to City, we didn't have the right belief in our performance but I think we showed that at Old Trafford," Martinez said.

"Arsenal deserve a lot of respect because if you win 11 of your first 14 games, you are the outstanding team in the competition. We are looking at ourselves to try to use this as a terrific test to see how quickly we can improve and challenge these sides.

"The Emirates Stadium is one of the hardest places to go and be yourself. Arsenal as an attacking team are as good as it gets and their movement and forward play requires maximum concentration in everything you do. From our point of view, we are ready for that test. We are excited about challenging the best team in the league so far," he said.