MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@ConorMcNamaraIE: Defeat at Chelsea has shown that City are champions but not yet Invincibles. This is an unusual feeling for Manchester City – starting a weekend below the Premier League’s top perch.
All teams suffer injuries at this stage of the season but City’s busy treatment tables are having a cumulative effect. To be without the ingenuity of both David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne at the same time could be a title race leveller.
Unbeaten on their last three league visits to the Etihad Stadium, Evertonians will experience an unusual feeling of their own this weekend – having Liverpool fans cheering them on for this one.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: “Last season one of the secrets was when we dropped points we were able to make another big run, winning games and winning games. It’s important but we must focus on what we have to do and try to beat them.
“We’ve dropped points (against Everton) here but tomorrow’s another game. Everton have completely changed their team in terms of players – Bernard, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Digne, Yerry Mina. I’m really impressed how well they do.
“It will be a tough game after the Champions League. The people yesterday were so tired. We’ll see how we react.”
Everton manager Marco Silva: “We know we are playing against possibly the best Premier League team. They have a lot of individual quality.
“It will be tough for us, but it is a good game for us to enjoy, to challenge a team like City. Our players have shown we like these type of games.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
Everton, who had an eventful draw with Watford last time out, are a much-improved side and they like it when teams attack them, which is what will happen here.
They will give City a game, but I am still expecting Pep Guardiola’s side to have too much for them.
Prediction: 2-0
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester City have only won two of their past seven league and cup games against Everton, keeping a solitary clean sheet (D3, L2).
- The three most recent Premier League meetings at the Etihad Stadium have been drawn but Everton are winless in seven top-flight trips to Manchester City since December 2010.
- Everton’s only Premier League victory against City in the last 10 attempts was by a 4-0 scoreline at Goodison Park in January 2017.
Manchester City
- Manchester City are unbeaten in 51 league matches against teams outside the established top six since a 4-0 defeat at Everton in January 2017 (W44, D7).
- City lost, and conceded more than one goal, for the first time in 22 league games last Sunday at the hands of Chelsea.
- It is two years since they lost consecutive league games, while they have never gone successive league matches without scoring under Pep Guardiola.
- City have won their last nine Premier League home fixtures, scoring a total of 33 goals.
- Raheem Sterling has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in 21 Premier League home appearances since the start of last season.
- Guardiola has won all five competitive matches as a manager against Marco Silva, by an aggregate score of 19-2.
- Sergio Aguero is two short of 250 career league goals, but he has only scored twice in 12 top-flight appearances against Everton. Aguero’s ratio of a goal every 358 minutes in this fixture is his worst versus any of the 31 teams he has scored against in the Premier League.
Everton
- Everton’s solitary league away win in eight attempts since May came at Leicester in October. They have taken 14 points from 17 away fixtures over the last 12 months (W3, D5, L9).
- The Toffees are winless in 32 league away fixtures against the teams that finished in the top six last season since a 1-0 triumph at Manchester United in December 2013 (D10, L22).
- However, they have lost just once in six league games.
- Everton’s tally of 24 points is their highest after 16 games for five seasons.
- Marco Silva has lost all three Premier League matches as a manager against Manchester City, including both fixtures at Etihad Stadium by a 3-1 scoreline.
- Richarlison’s eight league goals this season have been worth nine points, the joint-most of any player in the division alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal and Glenn Murray for Brighton.
Source: BBC News
