Manchester City are looking for a late Christmas present when they host Everton in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
The reigning Premier League champions are in desperate form and suffered another confidence-shattering defeat at the hands of Aston Villa last time out. Pep Guardiola’s side were outplayed and beaten in the Midlands and have now won just once in their last 12 games in all competitions.
The defeat at Villa Park dropped them to seventh place in the league Premier League table, behind Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. If they don’t turn their fortunes around soon, they will face a challenging exit for the top four.
Home match against Everton it may look easy for the Cityzens, but Sean Dyche’s hard-nosed Toffees have picked up points against Arsenal and Chelsea in their last two matches. A goalless draw against the London giants moved them four points clear of the relegation zone.
Here 90 minutes guide to key match for Man City on Boxing Day.
Man City vs Everton H2H record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Man City |
Everton |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 2-1 Man City – 21.12.24 |
Everton 0-0 Chelsea – 22.12.24 |
|
Man City 1-2 Man Utd – 15.12.24 |
Arsenal 0-0 Everton – 14.12.24 |
|
Juventus 2-0 Man City – 12.11.24 |
Everton 4-0 Wolves – 12.4.24 |
|
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City – 12.7.24 |
Man Utd 4-0 Everton – 12.01.24 |
|
Man City 3-0 Nottingham Forest – 12.4.24 |
Everton 0-0 Brentford – 23.11.24 |
|
Earth |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
Great Britain |
Amazon Prime |
|
United States |
fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada |
Injuries have plagued Man City throughout the current season and several key first-team players are missing for Thursday’s meeting with Everton. Rodri and Oscar Bobb are out for a long time, while Ruben Dias will miss out due to a muscle injury he won’t see it returned until mid-January at the earliest.
Ederson missed the weekend defeat to Villa with a leg injury and Stefan Ortega could be called up again on Thursday. Matheus Nunes was also unavailable at Villa Park with a knock but should feature in the squad for the game against the Toffees.
John Stones was withdrawn at half-time against Villa as he continues to struggle with a foot injury. There is a strong doubt that he will feature at the Etihad on Boxing Day.
Predicted line-up of Man City against Everton (3-2-4-1): Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Ake; Lewis, Kovačić; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Everton have been without their main creator for their last two games against Arsenal and Chelsea, with Dwight McNeil unlikely to feature at the Etihad due to a knee injury. He joins James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam in the treatment room.
Ashley Young will miss Thursday’s game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season against Chelsea. Fellow veteran Seamus Coleman will replace him at right back.
On-loan striker Armando Broja is once again available from the bench after being ineligible to face his parent club this weekend.
Everton predicted the lineup against Man City (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Coleman, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Mangala, Ndiaye; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin.
Man City’s woes have been compounded by some poor performances and results in recent weeks, with both their attack and defense suffering from a lack of confidence. They struggled to break down their opponents and looked too open in transition when they surrendered possession.
Everton have proven their ability to get results against the division’s big hitters in recent games and Thursday’s post-Christmas clash is unlikely to be a thriller. It will be a game with good margins, but Man City’s power might just overshadow a tight game against a stubborn and well-organised defence.
Prediction: Man City 1-0 Everton
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