This match is certainly the secondary clash between Merseyside and Manchester compared this Sunday; however, these are two good sides who should put on a decent show.
Despite losing their last match in the FA Cup against league champions Leicester City, Everton have actually been on a good run in the Premier League having won two of their last three and not losing any of that trio of games, boosting them up to 7th in the table.
The Toffees’ defence has been back on form with two clean sheets in those two aforementioned wins which means their ‘Goals Against’ record of 23 is better than all but one of the teams below them in the table.
After a bit of a goal drought a month or so ago, Ronald Koeman’s men have managed to locate their shooting boots once more with eight goals in their last four matches in all competitions.
Goodison Park has been a fortress for a long time and Everton have only lost one league home match since March 2016 whilst they took Southampton to the cleaners in their last Premier League match on home soil.
Questions had surrounded Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City a few weeks ago after a downturn in form; however, six wins in their last seven means things have peaked once more. Although some of these wins have been difficult, such as the one against Burnley, the points are what matter and City have been picking them up recently. Having said this, they are still only fourth in the league, seven points off top spot and only inside the top four by a solitary point.
There are certainly no issues with the Citizens going forward as shown by the fact they have scored 14 in their last six matches in all competitions, however, despite keeping a clean sheet in their 5-0 thrashing of West Ham United in the FA Cup in their last game, they do have problems at the back with their record of 22 conceded in 20 games the joint second-worse in the top six.
Away form has certainly been inconsistent for Guardiola’s men and they have failed to win back-to-back away matches since late October/early November. Additionally, they tend to struggle against teams who have a good home record which could really influence this match against Everton on Saturday.
Manchester City have been made the favourites here and it is perhaps easy to see why given the resources and squad at their disposal. However, Goodison is a very tough place to go and I think a resurgent Toffees side could get a positive result on Sunday. Furthermore, City have only won twice at Goodison Park in their last seven attempts.
Given the circumstance, I think the draw is very well priced here at 3/1 and is worth backing.
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