Venue: Etihad Stadium
Date: 14/10/2016
Kick-off: 15:00 (BST)
Everton prepare to square off against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and the match is certain to be a tough encounter for the Toffees.
Under new manager Ronald Koeman, Everton had managed to make a fine start to their campaign but the Toffees are now currently going through a bit of a struggle in recent times.
Following defeats against Norwich City and Bournemouth, Everton only managed a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace before the international break and Koeman would surely have been left disappointed with his side’s efforts over the past few weeks.
Koeman will be demanding an improvement from his side as soon as possible but it will most certainly not be easy as Everton prepare for a daunting encounter against Manchester City away from home this weekend.
Everton Team News
Everton have been handed a huge triple boost ahead of the encounter as the likes of Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka and Romelu Lukaku have all been passed fit to feature this weekend.
Baines and Jagielka will surely start during the clash and the rest of the backline should comprise of Ashley Williams, Seamus Coleman and Maarten Stekelenburg in goal.
At the middle of the park, it is expected that Idrissa Gueye and Gareth Barry will continue their solid partnership but James McCarthy has been ruled out once again.
The more conservative Tom Cleverley could start ahead of the adventurous duo of Gerard Deulofeu and Kevin Mirallas for the encounter while Ross Barkley and Yannick Bolasie look set to support the lone striker Romelu Lukaku in attack.
Probable Lineups
Manchester City (Probable XI): Bravo; Clichy, Stones, Otamendi, Zabaleta; Fernandinho, Nolito, Gundogan, Silva, Sterling; Aguero
Everton (Probable XI): Stekelenburg; Baines, Jagielka, Williams, Coleman; Barry, Gueye, Cleverley, Barkley, Bolasie; Lukaku
Last Meeting
27/01/2016 Manchester City 3 – 1 Everton
13/01/2016 Manchester City 0 – 0 Everton
06/01/2016 Everton 2 – 1 Manchester City
23/08/2015 Everton 0 – 2 Manchester City
Prediction
Manchester City and Everton squared off against each other four times last season and much to the Toffees’ credit they suffered only one defeat and claimed two draws in the Premier League.
Up against his former Barcelona teammate in Pep Guardiola, Koeman will surely have a plan up his sleeve but claiming a result against Manchester City these days is an extremely difficult task.
The match on Saturday should prove to be a very entertaining affair and while Everton should put up a good showing, Manchester City will be the most likely victors on the day.
Manchester City 2-1 Everton
