Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne faces a race against time to be fit for his side's Europa League quarter-final first-leg clash with Arsenal. The Italy forward is one of three players who may struggle to feature, with centre-back Vlad Chiriches and holding midfielder Amadou Diawara also sidelined with injury. Insigne strained a muscle in his right leg during the warm-up ahead of Thursday's defeat to Red Bull Salzburg, and is expected to take at least three weeks to recover. Chiriches, meanwhile, suffered a hamstring injury late on in Austria and has been given the same timeframe for recovery.  Diawara has a fracture in his right foot and will also be assessed in three weeks' time, but is the least likely to feature.  Of the three, only club captain Insigne is a guaranteed starter, pairing Belgium forward Dries Mertens or Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik in attack, while Chiriches is firmly behind first-choice pairing Kalidou Koulibaly and Nikola Maksimovic in the centre-back pecking order, with Raul Albiol also ahead of him, albeit sidelined with injury himself.  Diawara, 21, is an option in midfield alongside Allan, but Fabian Ruiz was most likely to get the nod. The news will be welcome for Arsenal fans, who may have feared the thought of Insigne wreaking havoc on the right-hand side of their defence, particularly with first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin a long-term absentee, alongside Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck.  Napoli arguably represented the toughest possible draw for the Gunners, and playing one leg against a side without their captain and second top scorer across all competitions will certainly come as a boost to Unai Emery's camp.  The Gunners, while sitting fourth in the Premier League, face a fierce fight for their top-four spot, and winning the Europa League would guarantee a Champions League place ahead of next season.  They recovered from a 3-1 deficit in France to progress 4-3 on aggregate against Rennes after a 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, with a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brace and an Ainsley Maitland-Niles header sending them through. Napoli, meanwhile, survived a 3-1 second-leg defeat to Salzburg after an impressive 3-0 win in the first leg game them enough of a cushion in order to progress. Whoever progresses from their quarter-final will play either Villarreal or Valencia in the semi-finals. 

Revered sporting director Monchi is in closing in on a return to his former club Sevilla after leaving Serie A side Roma, dealing a blow to Arsenal. As reported by Goal, Monchi, who left Sevilla in 2017 after 17 years as a director having inspired the most successful period in their history, has been in contact with the Liga outfit. The former Sevilla goalkeeper earned a formidable reputation for his work in the transfer market, becoming renowned for signing players on the cheap and then selling them – or academy products – at a massive profit, with Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Jose Antonio Reyes, Alberto Moreno and Ivan Rakitic among the biggest deals. He departed Sevilla in search of a new challenge, but things did not go entirely to plan at Roma, as his signings came in for criticism and he was reportedly against the idea of dismissing coach Eusebio Di Francesco. Arsenal – managed by his former Sevilla colleague Unai Emery – had been heavily linked with a move and reportedly thought they had the deal tied up, but the Spanish side appear to have stolen a march after sacking coach Pablo Machin and replacing him with previous sporting director Joaquin Caparros. Speaking at a news conference on Friday, president Jose Castro said: "The conclusion we have reached is that there is no one better than Caparros, a successful coach, who could take charge of the squad, which has been constructed by him. "He will no longer be a sporting director. Sevilla is already working for a new sporting director and we are looking for the best. We think Monchi is the best. "We have contacted him already and he has been very receptive. We have to agree on an idea of ​​the future and both parties are optimistic. "We do not need a sporting director for the end of the season, we need one for now, because Caparros is already with the first-team. Our conversations [with Monchi] have gone well and soon, possibly, Monchi could be our sporting director. "The club knows him perfectly. The team does, too. We have talked about everything, and I repeat that I am very optimistic. "I think I've explained it several times. The conversations with Monchi have been good and we see him very receptive to being part of the project for the next years. "I think we just need to finish talking about some things. There is no date, but from the moment that Caparros is no longer the sporting director, we need [a new] one as soon as possible. I cannot take long. "We've been talking for a few days now. He rescinded his contract with Roma and, from there, we talked. He is in favour of the projects we have in mind."

Sead Kolasinac wants Arsenal to buck their recent trend of falling behind in the Europa League knockout phases, with Napoli up next in the last eight. Unai Emery's men secured their spot in the next round of the competition with a 3-0 home win against Rennes on Thursday night, thanks to a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double and an Ainsley Maitland-Niles header. The Gunners left themselves with a mountain to climb at the Emirates Stadium after losing 3-1 in the first leg in France, failing to learn their lesson after an away loss in the round of 32. BATE Borisov beat Arsenal 1-0 in Belarus before the Premier League giants once again managed to turn things around at home with a 3-0 triumph. The draw for the Europa League quarter-finals was completed on Friday, with Arsenal handed a tough draw against Serie A powerhouses Napoli. The first leg is set to take place at the Emirates on April 11, and Kolasinac has insisted that the Gunners must avoid another damaging defeat. “It’s always very difficult when you lose the first game,” the 25-year-old stated post-match. “We are aware of that, it’s not something we want to do of course. It is something we are going to work on in the next round. Of course, the key will be to start better than we have in these last two ties. “We didn’t put ourselves in a good position at the end of that first leg. Having said that, I think that away goal was crucial for us. “It was difficult for us because we had to play with 10 men for about 50 minutes of that first game as well. We made it difficult, but we knew how strong we are at home and we deservedly went through tonight.” Arsenal join Chelsea in the latter stages of the Europa League, while Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool have also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Kolasinac believes the success of English sides in Europe's top competitions proves the Premier League is the strongest in the world, as he added: "I think it characterises us and it characterises this league at the moment as well that all six teams have got through to the quarter-finals,” he added. “It proves that when people say the Premier League is the best league around, they are not saying it for free. I think it makes the Premier League very interesting and we’re of course proud to have progressed in the Europa League.” Emery's side can now enjoy a well-earned break while the latest round of international fixtures takes place, with a crucial clash against Newcastle up next on April 1.

Chelsea rescued a point through a late Eden Hazard strike against Wolves in the Premier League last weekend and a tough away trip to Everton now awaits. The Toffees will be looking to bounce back as they surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 in the last minute against Newcastle United last time out. There is some pressure on both Maurizio Sarri and Marco Silva ahead of Sunday's clash at Goodison Park, but the Italian does at least have a Europa League quarter-final to fall back on, with his side facing Slavia Prague in the last eight. Chelsea Injuries Chelsea have close to a full complement of players available, barring any late injuries in training, ahead of kick-off on Sunday. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is still bidding to reach full fitness as he manages the back problem that has plagued him over his career. Several first-team players were rested in the midweek trip to face Dynamo Kyiv in the Europa League, but most of them still had to make the 2,600-mile round trip. The rested players included Gonzalo Higuain, Eden Hazard and David Luiz, with all three expected to return to the starting XI to face Everton. Davide Zappacosta may well miss out having been injured in the second half against Dynamo although he would've likely dropped out for Cesar Azpilicueta anyway. Suspensions Neither Chelsea nor Everton have any suspensions to contend with ahead of Sunday's match. Chelsea Potential Starting Line-Up Chelsea will go with their strongest possible line-up to face Everton, who represent tough opposition as Sarri's side aim to improve their hopes of finishing in the top four. The Italian has only selected Azpilicueta and N'Golo Kante for every match, but much of his line-up is predictable as he remains confident in his 4-3-3 formation. The 60-year-old doesn't often rotate for Premier League games, but Willian and Pedro are fighting for a starting berth alongside Hazard and Higuain. It is a similar story in midfield as Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley and Loftus-Cheek fight over one spot in the central area of the pitch. Everton Team News Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma has been widely praised for his Toffees displays, but he is unavailable to face his parent club due to Premier League rules. Leighton Baines is also expected to be out with a back injury. Seamus Coleman withdrew from the Newcastle game with sickness, but he is likely to return. Phil Jagielka, meanwhile, is a doubt with a knock. TV channel & kick-off time The match at Goodison Park kicks off at 4:30pm GMT (12:30pm ET) on Sunday and will be shown like on Sky Sports in the UK. In the US, the game is available on NBC Sports. Best Opta Match Facts Everton are winless in their last six Premier League meetings with Chelsea (D3 L3), failing to score in each of the last five. They last failed to score in six consecutive league games against an opponent vs Southampton between 1972 and 1979 (a run of seven). The last two Premier League meetings between Everton and Chelsea have finished 0-0. Only four fixtures in the competition’s history have finished goalless in three consecutive games (Arsenal vs QPR, Aston Villa vs Man Utd, Charlton vs Middlesbrough and Coventry vs Sheffield Wednesday). Everton have won just one of their last eight Premier League home games (D3 L4), while the Toffees haven’t beaten a ‘big six’ side in the league since January 2017 (4-0 v Man City), drawing seven and losing 18 since. Eden Hazard has been directly involved in 48% of Chelsea’s 50 Premier League goals this season (13 goals, 11 assists), the highest ratio in the division. The highest percentage of goals a Chelsea player has been involved in over a full Premier League season is 47%, by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (scored or assisted 32 of Chelsea’s 68 goals). At no ground has Chelsea’s Eden Hazard played more Premier League games without scoring than he has at Goodison Park (6, level with Selhurst Park).

Olivier Giroud insists that he does not want to be considered as merely a back-up striker for Chelsea as his fine form in Europe continued. The France international scored a perfect hat-trick as the Blues booked their place in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 5-0 win over Dynamo Kiev on Thursday. Giroud is now the top scorer in the competition with nine goals to his name heading into the last eight, but he has scored just once in the Premier League under Maurizio Sarri. He has not started a league match for the Stamford Bridge outfit since December 30, with Gonzalo Higuain having arrived in west London to replace Alvaro Morata in the January transfer window. Giroud, though, is not happy playing second fiddle and insists his form in continental competition is proof that he has what it takes to be given more opportunities domestically. "No chance [I will deputise for another striker]," Giroud told reporters. "I’m a competitor. I have been through a lot of tough moments in my career. I want to enjoy playing my football after winning the World Cup last summer. "I want to take maximum pleasure on the pitch. That’s why when I play I try to enjoy the game as much as I can. I want to play every single game and to be happy on the pitch. But I am not picking the team. The manager makes some choices. "I play in the Europa League, and I am happy to help the team to go through the stages, step by step. The target is clearly to win it. The Premier League is another thing you know? I’m 32, but I’m still young. I feel very well physically. "When I do the tests on the treadmill I have to say that I have one of the best tests [at the club]. Physically I feel very good. I have the motivation to carry on. "Some of the boys asked me why I didn’t retire after the World Cup with the national team, but I’m still hungry, and I know how much I will miss football after my career. I want more and more. I think I have a few nice years in front of me. "I don’t know how many, my body will tell me. I still feel as fresh as when I was in my twenties. I remember all of my hat-tricks, but this one was important because it was an international game in the Europa League. "I scored a hat-trick for Arsenal against Olympiacos when they needed to win by three goals, and we won 3-0. But this was the best day for Chelsea. When I have the opportunity to play and finish well the work of my team-mates, I do it with great pleasure." Chelsea are one of six English teams to have qualified for the quarter-finals of either the Europa League or Champions League this season, with the Blues themselves set to face Slavia Prague in April following Friday's draw. And Giroud is hopeful that a Premier League representative will reign supreme on the continent this season, though he is not ruling out departing English shores in the future. "It is very nice for the Premier League to have four teams in the quarter finals of the Champions League and it’s well deserved. It’s true that we play a lot of games in the year, maybe more than any other championship. "The league is very tough, very demanding in a physical way and it’s intensity. But I’m happy that English clubs are back on the European scene. Hopefully one of them will win it. "For me the Premier League is great, it is my favourite league. Now we don’t know about the future – who can say? We’ll see." Sarri's side return to action on Sunday when they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton and look to close the gap on the Premier League's top four in the process.