Seamus Coleman says Everton’s visit to Arsenal on Friday promises to be “pivotal” in the competition for European positions.

Victory in north London would move Carlo Ancelotti’s team to within three points of the Premier League’s top four.

Everton’s past three games have finished all square and right-back Coleman admits his side have only themselves to blame for not converting draws into victories against both Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park.

Equally, insists Everton’s captain, the performances in those matches – Ancelotti's side were pegged back by second-half equalisers in both – are stoking optimism for their encounter with Arsenal.

“It is a pivotal game and we are going into it aiming to win, off the back of a good performance against Spurs,” said Coleman.

“The games are running out and we need to get three points to put pressure on the teams above us.

“There have been some home games where we felt we dropped points but, in truth, our opponents deserved the result.

“Against Palace and Tottenham, it was the other way round.

“We had chances to win the games and it was little blips by us that cost goals.

“We had the opportunities and felt we deserved to win the matches.

“It was disappointing but there’s always a positive to take when you do create chances and play well.”

Everton are aiming for a first league double over Arsenal in 35 years following a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture back in December.

That success four months ago was part of a sequence of four straight victories which lifted manager Ancelotti’s team into the Premier League’s upper reaches.

Everton began the campaign in identical vein, winning four successive games, and were the last top-flight side to suffer defeat.

Add a tally of nine away victories – they require one more to equal a total last managed in the title-winning season of 1986/87 – and Everton have compiled some impressive numbers.

In the view of Coleman, however, his team's efforts will count for something only if European qualification is attained.

“The football club needs it, we will be massively disappointed if we don’t get European football this year after we started so well,” said Coleman, who has featured 19 times in the Premier League this term.

“That is the aim of the Club, whether that is Champions League or Europa League, we have to give it our all.

“There is nothing given to you in football and plenty of other teams want those European spots.

“It is where you want to play and where the Club needs to be to keep improving.”

Previewing his team’s next encounter, Coleman was reminded of a date with Arsenal in April 2014 when both sides were competing for top-four spots.

A pumped-up Goodison Park generated a wall of sound and Everton swarmed all over Arsenal to win 3-0.

Ancelotti’s players will have to summon their intensity and inspiration from within at Emirates Stadium, as the Premier League continues behind closed doors.

But Coleman, who this week offered a strong view on the relationship between football and its supporters, following failed attempts by 12 clubs to form a sterile, closed-shop European Super League, reckons the return of fans will serve as a reminder of the paying spectator's position at the heart of the sport.

“Getting the fans back in – real football fans – after the statement they all made [unifying to reject a super league]… it will be incredible to see full stadiums again,” said Coleman.

“We will never take for granted what football means to us again.

“We are all looking forward to getting fans back in stadiums – our own fans and rival fans – to get that football atmosphere back.”