Manchester City will be looking for a late Christmas present when they host Everton in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
The reigning Premier League champions are in poor form and suffered another confidence-sapping defeat to Aston Villa last time out. Pep Guardiola's side have been outclassed in the Midlands and have now won just once in their last 12 games in all competitions.
Defeat to Villa Park dropped them to seventh in the league Premier League The table is behind the likes of Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. If they don't turn their fortunes around soon, they will face a tough challenge for the top four.
Home game vs Everton It may seem obvious for the Cityzens, but Sean Dyche's stubborn Toffees side have picked up points against Arsenal and Chelsea in their last two games. A goalless draw against the London giants moved them four points clear of the relegation zone.
here 90 minutes Guide to decisive match Man City On boxing day.
Manchester City vs Everton H2H match record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Man City |
Everton |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City – 12/21/24 |
Everton 0-0 Chelsea – 12/22/24 |
|
Man City 1-2 Manchester United – 12/15/24 |
Arsenal 0-0 Everton – 12/14/24 |
|
Juventus 2-0 Manchester City – 12/11/24 |
Everton 4-0 Wolverhampton – 12/04/24 |
|
Crystal Palace 2-2 Man City – 12/07/24 |
Manchester United 4-0 Everton – 12/01/24 |
|
Man City 3-0 Nottingham Forest – 12/04/24 |
Everton 0-0 Brentford – 11/23/24 |
|
nation |
TV Channel/Live Broadcast |
|---|---|
|
UK |
Amazon Prime |
|
US |
fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada |
Injuries have plagued Manchester City throughout the current season, and they are missing several key first-team players for Thursday's meeting with Everton. Rodri and Oscar Pope will be absent for a long period, while Ruben Dias will be absent due to a muscle injury I won't see him back until mid-January at the earliest.
Ederson missed the weekend's defeat to Aston Villa with a leg injury and Stefan Ortega could be called up again on Thursday. Matheus Nunes was also unavailable at Villa Park due to an injury, but should feature in the squad for the match against the Toffees.
John Stones was withdrawn at half-time against Villa as he continues to suffer from a foot injury. He is a major doubt to appear at the Etihad on Boxing Day.
The expected lineup for Man City against Everton (3-2-4-1): nettle. Walker, Akanji, Aki; Lewis, Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Holland.
Everton have been without their key creator for the past two matches against Arsenal and Chelsea, with Dwight McNeil unlikely to feature at the Etihad Stadium due to a knee injury. He joins James Garner and Tim Irogbunam in the treatment room.
Ashley Young will miss Thursday's match after receiving his fifth yellow card this season in the English Premier League against Chelsea. He will be replaced by fellow veteran Seamus Coleman in the right-back position.
On-loan striker Armando Broga is again available from the bench after being made ineligible to face his parent club at the weekend.
Everton's expected lineup against Manchester City (4-4-1-1):Beckford; Coleman, Tarkovsky, Branthwaite, Mikulenko; Harrison, Jay, Mangala, Ndiaye; Ducouri. Calvert-Lewin.
Manchester City's problems have been compounded by some poor performances and results in recent weeks, with both attack and defense suffering from a lack of confidence. They struggled to break down their opponents and looked very open in transition when they surrendered possession.
Everton have proven they can produce results against the division's big hitters in recent matches and Thursday's post-Christmas duel is unlikely to be an exciting one. It will be a game with good margins but Man City's strength may overshadow a stubborn and well-organised defence.
