Will City lose their way to the top?

The newly crowned Club World Champions will do the honors in the Premier League at home on Wednesday evening. Last Friday, Manchester City were crowned the best club team in the world in a one-sided final against Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense from Brazil (4-0), and now the next tricky task awaits coach Pep Guardiola’s charges in the recently unloved league routine. At Goodison Park, the Sky Blues fight against the trend in the English top flight

The champions of the past three seasons have won just one of their last six PL matches and have fallen behind in the race for the English championship as a result. Guardiola’s side are currently only in fifth place. However, the odds on the three-way market for Everton v Manchester City underline that the bookmakers expect the recent results crisis to come to an end before the turn of the year. Betano is offering just 1.60 for an away win

The encounter on matchday 19 in the Premier League will definitely not be a walkover for the Citizens. The Toffees have had an absolutely satisfactory season so far and have been brutally solid, especially in defense. It is therefore quite possible that the favorites and championship aspirants are in for a test of patience. The prediction that Everton and Manchester City will score relatively few goals in the course of the match is therefore not entirely without argumentative basis

Everton – Statistics & current form

After a disappointing last season, those responsible at Everton Football Club can be very satisfied with the 2023/24 season to date. Although 16th place with 16 points from 18 matches is definitely not what they had in mind in the blue part of Liverpool, it should not be forgotten that the Toffees were deducted ten points due to breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. If these are added to the current haul, coach Sean Dyche’s team may even be quietly peering towards the European Cup places.

In general, there is no other club in the bottom half of the table in the English top flight that is more difficult to play against than the nine-time champions, who are only four points clear of the first relegation spot. This thesis can be substantiated on the one hand by Liverpool’s current good form. On the other hand, the extremely strong defense, which has caused many a favorite immense problems in the current season

Everton aim to build on recent home performances

The Blues have won four of their last five Premier League games. The previous four-match winning streak came to an end last weekend with a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham, although the Toffees could have taken home something worthwhile in London given the good chances they created and the fact that they merely overslept in the early stages. At home, however, Dyche’s side have won two PL matches in a row for the first time in over two years. Keeper Pickford even kept a clean sheet against Chelsea (2-0) and Newcastle (3-0).

In a league comparison, only Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have conceded fewer goals than the 16th-placed side, who have only conceded more than two in two of their 18 matches. In front of their own fans, the aforementioned goalkeeper Pickford even managed to keep the ball out of the net only nine times. Only two out of nine times did either team score. There were never more than three goals in total. This is one of the reasons why it is a wise approach to consider a betting tip of under 3.5 between Everton and Manchester City.

Predicted Everton line-up:

Manchester City – Statistics & current form

The last time Manchester City won just one of their six Premier League games was in February/March 2016 (!). Almost eight years later, history has repeated itself. Before the successful trip to the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, which ended with two commanding “to-nil” victories against Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminense, the Sky Blues were in a tangible crisis at league level that was unheard of for a soccer team coached by Pep Guardiola.

With a catch-up game in hand, the Sky Blues are already six points behind the leaders before the start of matchday 19. The run to a fourth consecutive championship therefore looks set to be rockier and more complicated than expected. The fact is that the title contenders have a lot planned for the coming weeks. The visit to Goodison Park is the start of the race to catch up. According to the bookmakers’ odds, the Citizens are still the top favorites for the title ahead of the Everton v Manchester City match. The highest odds are 2.25 and – as of Christmas 2023 – there is no value involved at all

Can Haaland and Rodri play against Everton?

The Pep team’s defense has proven to be particularly problematic of late. At national level, they have conceded at least one goal in seven consecutive league games. The last clean sheet came at the end of October. However, it was already evident at the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia that the coaching staff had worked on the deficiencies, adjusted the risk with the ball somewhat and also changed the staggering in the rest of the defense.

It will be interesting to see whether these adjustments can now also be seen in the league. In any case, we are not ruling it out and are therefore predicting that the favored visitors will win the away game in the Beatles’ city 1-0 or 2-0. An attractive 3.75 is offered at Bet365 for an away win in conjunction with under 2.5 goals.

Finally, a lot will depend on whether Erling Haaland is available again. In Saudi Arabia, the Norwegian striker only trained individually and did not play at all. However, there are signs that he will make his comeback on Wednesday. Things are also looking positive for key player Rodri, although he is also injured. All the more hope is pinned on Jack Grealish, who recently scored at least once in three PL games in a row for the first time in his career

Predicted Manchester City line-up:

Everton – Manchester City head-to-head comparison / H2H result

Of the last 20 Premier League meetings, Everton have won just one against Manchester City. Five draws and 14 defeats round off the record. The Toffees are now winless in twelve league games against the Citizens. The Sky Blues have also won their last six PL games at Goodison Park, four of them without conceding a goal. In the past two seasons, City have won 3-0 and 1-0 against the Blues in Liverpool, and we can imagine a result along those lines on Wednesday night

Everton – Manchester City betting tip

One day after Boxing Day, the English Premier League continues. The eagerly awaited clash between Everton and Manchester City kicks off at 21:15 on Wednesday evening. The betting odds are very clearly in favor of the club world champions and reigning champions. In our eyes, even a little too one-sided.

While the Toffees have won four of their last five league games, beating Chelsea and Newcastle at home in succession, Guardiola’s side have only won one of their last six Premier League matches. The Sky Blues must get a better grip on their defense in particular if they are to avoid falling further behind at the top of the table

However, we assume that they will succeed and argue on the one hand with their very good record against the Toffees. On the other hand, the fact that winning the Club World Cup has certainly restored a lot of self-confidence. Strictly speaking, Dyche’s team are even weaker at home than away.

As a result, we are betting that Everton and Manchester City will not lose and that a maximum of three goals will be scored during the match