Manchester City will host Everton in a Premier League clash at the Etihad on Saturday, looking to build on their recent run of form.
Manchester City are unbeaten in the last six matches in all competitions heading into the game vs Everton this weekend. The Citizens have picked up four wins from their last six outings, and they will look to build on that. They will be the favourites on current form.
Meanwhile, Everton are in impressive form as well, and they have lost just one of their last six matches in the Premier League, picking up three wins in that time. The Toffees would look to pull off an upset away from home, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out a positive result.
Manchester City are undoubtedly a better team on paper, and they have an impressive record against Everton as well. However, Pep Guardiola’s men will need to raise their performance levels in order to get the job done. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Abdukodir Khusanov is unavailable this weekend due to an ankle injury, Omar Marmoush has a knee issue, and Rayan Ait-Nouri has muscular problems. Rodri is facing another spell on the sidelines after hobbling off against Brentford.
Manchester City will shape up in a 4-1-4-1 formation vs Everton, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly will start as the full-backs. They will look to help the team at both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Ruben Dias will form the central defensive partnership alongside Josko Gvardiol.
Nico Gonzalez will look to control the tempo of the game from the middle of the park. Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden will start as the advanced central midfielders, and they will look to add creativity to the side.
Savinho and Jeremy Doku will start on the flanks. They will look to add pace, flair, and unpredictability to the Manchester City attack. Erling Haaland will lead the line for Manchester City vs Everton this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunez, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Savinho, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Everton
Jack Grealish will miss out for the away side this weekend, as he is ineligible to take on his parent club. Everton are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Manchester City, with Jordan Pickford starting as the goalkeeper here.
Jake O’Brien and Vitaliy Mykolenko are likely to be deployed in the full-back positions. They will look to keep things tight defensively. Michael Keane will start alongside James Tarkowski at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Idrissa Gueye will pair up alongside James Garner in the double pivot in the middle of the park. They will look to protect the back four and break down Manchester City’s attacking moves.
Meanwhile, Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil will start on the flanks. They will look to help out during transitions and create opportunities during the break. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will reprise the attacking midfield role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Finally, Beto will spearhead the Everton attack vs Manchester City on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, McNeil; Beto
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won 14 of their last 16 matches against Everton in all competitions.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in the last six matches in all competitions.
- Everton have lost two of the last six matches in all competitions.
- 15 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams in all competitions.
- David Moyes has lost his last eight Premier League away games against Manchester City across spells with Manchester United (1 game), Sunderland (1), and West Ham United (6), most recently avoiding defeat at the Etihad with Everton in December 2012. Only against Liverpool (ongoing run of 10) has Moyes ever endured a longer losing run away from home against any side in the competition.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
The Manchester City talisman is in impressive form right now, and he will look to add to his goal tally for the season. He will look to take advantage of Everton’s defensive vulnerability and punish them at the back.
Haaland has scored nine goals in Manchester City’s seven Premier League games this season; a goal this weekend will make this only the third instance of a player reaching 10+ goals in a club’s first eight games of a season in the competition, with the Norwegian striker already responsible for the first two (6th game in 2022/23, 5th game in 2024/25).
He will look to create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net. The Norwegian International is our key player to watch out for, and he is going to be the difference maker for Manchester City here.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-1 Everton
Both teams will be looking to pick up a win here, and this will be an entertaining contest. The two sides are likely to get on the score sheet, but Manchester City have more quality and depth in the attacking unit.
The home side should be able to find the back of the net multiple times here. They are likely to pick up a comfortable victory at home. There will be a fair few chances for either side, and this will be an open game. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
