by CTID Hants » Sat Dec 31, 2022 12:49 pm
Ripped from the beeb
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City remain without injured centre-back Ruben Dias.
Julian Alvarez returned to training on Friday following a post-World Cup break, though it remains to be seen whether the Argentine forward is deemed ready to play.
Manager Pep Guardiola may rotate his squad, with the likes of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden in contention to start.
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is available following two months out with a thigh injury.
Conor Coady is expected to start after he was ineligible to face parent club Wolves on Boxing Day but Yerry Mina will be assessed
CHRIS SUTTON'S PREDICTION
I really am worried about Everton. They have won only one of their past nine games in all competitions, so a trip to Etihad Stadium is the last thing they need.
How do Frank Lampard's side approach this? Well, they will try to be resilient, to stay in the game for as long as possible and defend deep - but conceding an early goal would be disastrous for them.
The only question about Manchester City is who will play - the old 'Pep Roulette' upsets thousands of Fantasy Football players every week because you never know who will start.
I don't think Pep Guardiola's selection will make much difference to the outcome against Everton, though. City will wipe the floor with them.
Prediction: 5-0
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 11 home league games against Everton (W7, D4). They had lost the previous four meetings at the Etihad Stadium.
Everton have lost each of the last nine Premier League encounters. It is their second longest run of league defeats against the same opponent, surpassed only by a sequence of 13 losses versus Portsmouth between 1947 and 1956.
Manchester City
Manchester City have lost their final league game in just one of the last 21 calendar years (W11, D9), a 1-0 loss at Liverpool in 2016.
However, City are winless in all four Premier League games played on New Year's Eve (D3, L1).
Their 2-1 defeat to Brentford in their last home league match ended a run of 11 straight wins at the Etihad Stadium.
They have suffered consecutive home league defeats just once under Pep Guardiola: 2-1 losses versus Leeds and Chelsea in 2021.
Manchester City have scored a league-high 43 goals this season, while an unrivalled 58 goals have been scored by both sides in their 15 matches so far.
No side has scored the opening goal in more Premier League matches this season than City. They are undefeated in every game, winning 10 of 12 such fixtures.
Four of their last five home league defeats - including against Brentford - have been due to 90th-minute winning goals.
Erling Haaland has scored 20 goals in 14 Premier League matches, reaching that mark in fewer games than any player in the competition's history.
Haaland has already recorded 26 goals in 20 appearances under Pep Guardiola: this is the quickest that any player has reached at least 25 goals under Guardiola with a top-flight club.
Only two Manchester City players have scored at least 21 goals in an entire Premier League season: Sergio Aguero (five times) and Carlos Tevez (23 goals in 2009-10).
Haaland has scored eight goals more than Everton's entire squad in 16 Premier League matches.
Ederson has won 150 of his 197 Premier League games. He is the first player to reach this tally in fewer than 200 appearances.
Phil Foden has been directly involved in nine goals in eight league appearances at the Etihad this season, scoring six and assisting three.
Everton
Everton have lost 21 Premier League matches in 2022, their joint-most defeats in a single year in the competition. They also lost 21 matches in 1997 and 2005.
No side has lost more Premier League away games so far in 2022 than Everton (12 defeats). They last lost more on the road in a single calendar year in 1999 (13 losses).
The Toffees could lose five consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since October to November 2017.
Everton can fail to score in five successive Premier League away matches for the second time, after a run of six from August to November 1994 - a streak that included a 4-0 defeat at Manchester City.
They have won just four of their 30 Premier League away games against reigning champions (D6, L20), with each victory coming against a different side - Blackburn in 1995-96, Manchester United in 2013-14, Leicester in 2016-17 and Liverpool in 2020-21.
After conceding just 12 goals in their first 13 Premier League games this season, at an average of 0.9 per game, Everton have let in seven in their last three matches at 2.3 per game.
However, Everton are unbeaten in their last six league matches played on New Year's Eve (W4, D2), though this is their first such match since a 1-0 win at Sunderland in 2005.
Born A Blue
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