Premier League leaders Manchester City will be looking to get back to winning ways when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday evening.
Everton’s form has fluctuated wildly from one extreme to the other since Frank Lampard took over the reins at the end of January. They have won both their home games by a three-goal margin, including a comprehensive 3-0 Premier League win over Leeds United, but they have also lost both away top-flight games by a two-goal difference.
The Toffees head into this encounter on the back of a disappointing 2-0 away defeat to Southampton, in which they failed to muster a single shot on target. The result has left them looking nervously over their shoulders, with the Merseyside outfit only two points above the drop zone.
On the other hand, Manchester City appeared to be in a league of their own and well on their way to retaining the Premier League title just a few weeks ago, when they established a 12-point lead at the top. However, the Sky Blues have dropped points of late, which has certainly given the title race a fresh breath of life, with the relentless Liverpool now just three points adrift of the table-toppers.
Manchester City fell to a 3-2 loss to Tottenham on home soil last weekend. That opened the door for Liverpool, who have been on a roll, winning their last six league games in a row. With Liverpool not in league action this weekend due to their Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, Pep Guardiola’s side would want to strengthen their grip at the top of the table and give themselves some breathing room.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
Putting in the extra yards ?#EVEMCI pic.twitter.com/NR464SkdHg
— Everton (@Everton) February 25, 2022
Everton manager Frank Lampard has revealed that Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucoure have returned to full training and will be in the squad for the visit of Manchester City. Meanwhile, the Toffees remain without the services of Yerry Mina (thigh), Ben Godfrey (hamstring), Fabian Delph (thigh) and Tom Davies (thigh) through respective injury issues.
With Everton struggling to find any consistency in performances and still adapting to the new methods, Lampard is unlikely to chop and change the system frequently. Jordan Pickford is a certainty between the sticks, with the Toffees lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him.
Michael Keane will operate alongside Mason Holgate at the heart of the defence as they look to keep things solid at the back and cope better against set-piece situations, having shipped ten goals from dead-ball situations so far this term. Seamus Coleman and Jonjoe Kenny will occupy the full-back slots.
Donny van de Beek and Allan will form a double pivot structure, with both midfielders tasked with blocking off threats and providing forward thrust. Gray is Everton’s leading scorer in the Premier League (five goals) and should he return to the left side of the attack, Anthony Gordon will shift across to the other wing, with Alex Iwobi dropping to the bench.
The wing duo would be responsible for providing service for the men upfront as well as posing a goal threat. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will form the strike partnership up top and will look to impress after a lacklustre performance against Southampton last time out – in particular, Calvert-Lewin, who has yet to break his duck since returning from injury.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Pickford; Coleman, Holgate, Keane, Kenny; Gordon, Allan, van de Beek, Gray; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison
Manchester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Everton dugout, Pep Guardiola’s squad has almost a clean bill of health, with Cole Palmer the only injury concern. Both Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus have returned to training and are expected to be included in the matchday squad for the Everton trip, while the City boss has also stated that Oleksandr Zinchenko will be available despite the recent events in his native country Ukraine.
Tuning up for the Toffees ?#ManCity pic.twitter.com/dgaKrxRpkr
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 25, 2022
The Catalan coach will deploy his preferred 4-3-3 system, but could be open to minor tweaks following their surprise defeat to Tottenham last weekend, with winger Riyad Mahrez the likely beneficiary. There is no looking past Ederson in goal for the Manchester giants, with a back-four consisting of Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo expected in front of the Brazilian shot-stopper.
Both full-backs will be given the license to maraud forward and cause damage, especially Cancelo, who will be raring to dominate the left-flank. Rodri should hold the fort in the midfield and look to dictate play with his exceptional passing skills. Bernardo Silva could drop back into midfield and likely replace Ilkay Gundogan to form a trident alongside Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne.
Raheem Sterling will continue to feature in the left-wing position, as his pace and agility are a direct threat for the opposition, whereas Guardiola will recall Riyad Mahrez to slot into the opposite flank to add more potency to their attack. Phil Foden will spearhead the attack for the visitors, with his sharp instinctive movements a menace in the false-nine role.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo; Mahrez, Foden, Sterling
Key Stats
- Everton have only won once in their last 17 Premier League meetings against Manchester City and have lost each of their last eight.
- Manchester City have emerged victorious in each of their last four away Premier League games against Everton.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 12 top-flight away games (W10 D2) since a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham in the Premier League opener.
- The Toffees have lost six of their last eight Premier League matches (W1 D1).
- Seven of the last nine games between these two sides have seen three or more goals scored.
Player to Watch
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez’s place in Manchester City’s starting XI has not always been guaranteed during his tenure at the Etihad, but the Algerian has really upped his game and fits nicely into their system as a goal-scoring threat. The winger is in red-hot form and has scored five goals in his last five games for the Cityzens across all competitions.
He is the club’s second top-scorer in the league with eight strikes to his name, only behind the in-form Raheem Sterling (10). Furthermore, the 31-year-old boasts a decent record against Everton, scoring four goals and providing three assists from ten league starts against the Toffees. He would certainly be looking to add to his goal tally on Saturday.
Prediction
Everton 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City will be desperate to get back on track after their 3-2 defeat to Tottenham last time out, and that could spell trouble for the hosts, who could be in for a hammering given their inconsistencies. Goodison Park has proven to be kind for Frank Lampard’s side in the early weeks of his tenure, but that has done little to steady the ship at Everton, who still lack cohesion and aggression on the pitch.
While the Cityzens have shown some weaknesses, Everton struggled to break down Southampton’s defence last weekend. So it is hard to imagine them breaching the Premier League’s tightest defence on Saturday. A comfortable victory for Guardiola’s men should be on the cards.
