Preview – Everton vs Man City
Man City are preparing for their highly-anticipated trip to Everton, with Pep Guardiola set to do battle with the legendary Carlo Ancelotti in Monday’s Goodison Park thriller. This game is one of three fixtures set to take place on December 28, as the Citizens look to register yet another win in Matchweek 16 of the Premier League.
Both sides enjoyed lovely Boxing Day victories, with De Bruyne and Co. brushing aside Newcastle 2-0 while the Toffees beat Sheffield 1-0. Man City’s victory over the weekend was crucial as it saw them make ground in the Premier League title race. The Etihad Stadium side still sit outside the top five but they are in sixth, level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham and are only two behind third-placed Leicester.
That was the club’s third straight win and eighth clean sheets in their last 10 games. Since the departure of Vincent Kompany, Guardiola’s defense had taken a dip but the back-four appear stronger than ever as of late. However, they will need more than defensive security in order to beat Everton, having scored one goal or less in three of their last five fixtures.
In fact, they have scored more than two goals twice in their last eight fixtures, one of which was their recent 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. Star striker Sergio Aguero has been struggling with injury while Gabriel Jesus has failed to fill his void in the Argentine’s absence. Will they be able to beat the Merseyside outfit?
Ancelotti will have something to say about that, having led his team to four consecutive wins in the league. In fact, the Toffees have lost only once in their last seven matches, a run of form that has propelled them to second in the table, with Calvert-Lewin and Co. sitting only three points behind league leaders and city rivals Liverpool. Victory over Man City would be precious. Make sure to catch this game!
Team news
Everton: This game, unfortunately, comes too soon for Richarlison and James Rodriguez. The Brazilian is sidelined due to a concussion while his Colombian team-mate is out due to a calf issue. Lucas Digne will not be making his return until January while Allan is still recovering from his hamstring injury.
Man City: Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker will play no part in this fixture after the pair tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether Sergio Aguero will start, with Pep preferring to ease the Argentine back into the lineup after a lengthy injury layoff. Eric Garcia is on the sidelines but Ilkay Gundogan is expected to be fit for this tie.
Key stats
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Man City have won their last five encounters with Everton.
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The Citizens are unbeaten in 10 games across all competitions.
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No team in Europe’s top-five leagues have kept more clean sheets than Guardiola’s side (13).
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Calvert-Lewin is without a goal in his last five appearances and will be looking to end this horrible run.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
