Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will look to take another important step toward the league title with a win over Everton away from home. Ever since the Citizens defeated Arsenal, the title race has been wide open, and City have their future in their own hands.
Everton might be 11th on the table with 47 points in their 33 outings, but they still have a realistic chance of pushing for a European spot. The Toffees are just two points behind 7th-placed Bournemouth, and six points behind Brighton & Hove Albion, who occupy the Conference and Europa League spots.
However, they have not been in the best of form, winning just one out of their last five games. The Merseyside club are heading into this fixture on the back of consecutive defeats at the hands of Liverpool and West Ham. With the title at stake, City could make life very difficult for Everton.
Pep Guardiola’s men are second on the table with 70 points in their 33 outings. While they are three points behind Arsenal, City do have a game in hand. Given how things have panned out so far, the title race could go on until the final day of the season.
Manchester City have been in fine form of late. They have won each of their last three league outings and are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals. They have won each of their last six games across competitions and will certainly be out-and-out favourites in this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
David Moyes will remain without the services of Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) and Jack Grealish (foot), while Beto remains a doubt because of the head injury that he suffered recently.
Everton will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Jordan Pickford will take charge in goal. Jake O’Brien and Vitaliy Mykolenko will feature as the full-backs, while James Tarkowski will pair up with Michael Keane in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. The duo will have a lot of defending to do, as they will look to help their backline stop City’s star-studded attack.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will feature in the number ten role, with Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil providing width from the flanks. Meanwhile, Thierno Barry will continue to lead the line for Everton against Manchester City on Monday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry
Pep Guardiola remains without the services of Josko Gvardiol (broken leg), while Ruben Dias (hamstring) and Rodri (physical discomfort) are major doubts for this outing.
Manchester City will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Gianluigi Donnarumma will take charge in goal. Mateus Nunes and Rayan Ait-Nouri will feature as the full-backs, while Abdukodir Khusanov will partner Marc Guehi in the central defence pairing.
As for the midfield unit, Nico O’Reilly will partner with Bernardo Silva in the double pivot in the centre of the park. The duo will shield the backline and look to control the tempo of the game.
Rayan Cherki will be the attacking midfielder, with Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo featuring on the flanks. The trio will look to create chances for their star striker, Erling Haaland, who will continue to spearhead the Manchester City attack against Everton on Monday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; O’Reilly, Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Cherki is enjoying a dream debut campaign at Manchester City. The 22-year-old has established himself as one of their mainstays in no time. The youngster has been involved in 46 matches, and he has contributed towards 23 goals (10 goals, 13 assists).
23 goal contributions in just over 2,500 minutes is quite a return. Cherki is second in the Premier League for big chances created with 18, and he will certainly have a big say on the end result. Not only can he find the back of the net, but the 22-year-old can also bring other stars into the game, making him a massive threat for Everton.Everton need points to stay in the European chase, sitting just two behind Bournemouth, but they’re limping in on consecutive league defeats. Meanwhile, Manchester City are three points off leaders Arsenal with a game in hand, and have won six straight across all competitions. They have dominated 15 of the last 18 meetings between the two teams.
Pep’s machine won’t ease up even on the road. City hold the quality edge up top with Haaland and Cherki carving chances, while Everton’s defence, missing Branthwaite, faces a tall order after not beating City since 2017. The Toffees might nick one at home, but City’s firepower should grind out the win. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the away team.
