Manchester City will be a refreshed bunch when they make their way to the Goodison Park to face an Everton side, who have traditionally played well against the visitors on their home turf. City are fresh from a 5-0 battering of the hapless West Ham team who simply failed to turn up at the London Stadium in the FA Cup.
With the win, Pep Guardiola and the whole team got a little bit of room to breathe and take a break from the bevy of unfair criticism which has been coming their way lately.
With the top of the table congested, a win is necessary for the Sky Blues. They have Tottenham Hotspur next and that will be an extremely tough assignment. The Lilywhites have turned things around in recent seasons and after being the whipping boys of City for a period of time, they now regularly dominate City.
In their previous encounter at the Etihad this season, Everton were thoroughly outplayed but two penalty misses by City saw the Toffees snatch a vital draw from Manchester. With Spurs, Chelsea, United looking ominous and Liverpool and Arsenal very much in and around, the coming weeks will be crucial for Pep Guardiola and his boys.
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Manchester City Lineup Vs Everton
DEFENCE
Claudio Bravo will be in goal and he has been the only player who hasn’t impressed even once this season. The pressure is mounting on him and he needs to have a good game, not just a quiet game.
Pablo Zabaleta was deployed in midfield but he might come in at right-back in this match. If the Argentine is rested, Bacary Sagna will be lining up once again.
Otamendi and Stones can be paired once again and selecting Stones will send out a loud and clear message by Guardiola and will be a vote of confidence for the youngster.
Kolarov can be at left-back after he was rested in the FA Cup.
