Preview: Manchester City vs. Everton - prediction, team news, lineups

The archetypal Premier League fixture aft Christmas volition spot Everton marque the abbreviated travel down the M62 to look champions Manchester City astatine the Etihad connected Boxing Day.

Man City's demise this play has arguably been the biggest communicative crossed Europe, with Pep Guardiola's broadside present retired of the rubric contention and connected a tally of 1 triumph successful 12 games.

Match preview

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Another chastening day for the reigning champions past play saw them lose 2-1 away to Aston Villa, falling adjacent further disconnected the summit, and extending their astonishing tally of mediocre form.

With conscionable 4 points collected from their erstwhile 8 games, nary squad successful the Premier League has less successful that time, resulting successful them sitting outside the apical six astatine Christmas, down the likes of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth.

Sitting a mammoth 12 points down Liverpool having besides played a crippled much suggests the rubric is already beyond them, adjacent though they person pulled backmost immense margins successful the past.

Playing archetypal connected Boxing Day gives them a accidental to determination backmost up the array concisely though, and City person not mislaid back-to-back location league games successful astir 4 years, and they are improbable to repetition that feat with the matches they person coming up.

While galore of the clubs they person faced successful caller weeks person been challenging opponents, City present look Everton, Leicester City, West Ham United, Salford City, Brentford and Ipswich Town successful their adjacent six crossed each competitions, handing them the cleanable accidental to get backmost connected track.

Everton successful peculiar person proven precise favourable opponents successful caller years, due to the fact that City person not mislaid astatine location to the Toffees successful 13 matches, dating backmost to a tally of 4 consecutive defeats for the hosts betwixt 2008 and 2010.

Since their promotion backmost to the apical formation successful the aboriginal 2000s, City person besides won each 7 of their location matches played connected Boxing Day, but the lone different clip these 2 person met connected this time successful the Premier League, Everton won - backmost successful 2004.

Doing truthful again volition beryllium a gangly bid though, considering Everton person won conscionable 1 of the past 22 meetings with Man City, losing 12 of the past 13.

Likewise though, Everton person an fantabulous Boxing Day record, remaining undefeated successful their past 8 distant games connected this time dating backmost to 2005, and the past clip they faced the reigning champions connected December 26, they bushed Leicester successful 2016.

The visitors volition besides beryllium afloat of assurance aft an fantabulous tally of results has eased the unit connected manager Sean Dyche, who was nether occurrence pursuing a 4-0 nonaccomplishment astatine Manchester United little than a period ago.

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Everton past inflicted the aforesaid scoreline connected Wolves, earlier holding some Arsenal and Chelsea to 0-0 draws, doing their bitter rivals Liverpool a large favour successful the rubric race.

In a week that besides saw the nine taken implicit by the Friedkin Group, and being handed the keys to their caller stadium astatine Bramley-Moore Dock, spirits are arsenic precocious arsenic they person been for a portion among the bluish fractional of Merseyside.

Everton are 4 points supra the relegation portion astatine present, thing galore fans would person taken heading into a treacherous tally of games successful December, and they person their defence to convey for getting points connected the board.

Three consecutive cleanable sheets means the Toffees present person the astir crossed Europe's top-five leagues since the commencement of October (seven), with the Chelsea crippled seeing them grounds their 5th 0-0 draw of the play already.

Their onslaught remains a immense interest though, with Jack Harrison being the adjacent culprit successful squandering a immense accidental astatine the weekend, and inactive lone Southampton person a worse violative grounds than Dyche's men (14 scored).

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City signifier (all competitions):

Everton Premier League form:

Team News

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Man City could beryllium without erstwhile Everton antheral John Stones aft helium was forced disconnected astatine Villa Park with discomfort successful his foot, portion Ederson is simply a uncertainty owed to illness.

Matheus Nunes besides missed the crippled with a knock, but with City present welcoming backmost players specified arsenic Mateo Kovacic and Nathan Ake, his services whitethorn not beryllium required arsenic often.

Elsewhere connected the wounded list, Ruben Dias volition miss the adjacent mates of weeks with a musculus problem, Oscar Bobb is not expected backmost until February, portion Rodri volition miss astir of the play with his ACL tear.

Everton volition person Armando Broja disposable again aft helium was ineligible to look genitor nine Chelsea past weekend, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin is again the favourite to start, contempt present being connected a 12-game scoring drought.

Ashley Young is suspended aft helium picked up a 5th caution of the play against Chelsea, truthful nine skipper Seamus Coleman is expected to travel successful and marque a uncommon commencement pursuing galore wounded setbacks this season.

We say: Manchester City 3-0 Everton

City's caller signifier has been scarcely believable, but they person plentifulness of favourable fixtures ahead, starting with this 1 against opponents who person enjoyed precise fewer bully days astatine the Etihad successful the past fewer years.

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