Manchester City vs Everton Predictions

• Manchester City have lost nine of their last 12 games, including each of the last three
• Everton have lost only two of their last six away matches
• City have just one win in their last four home games, losing twice and conceding nine goals in that run

City could be frustrated again

One of the most remarkable storylines of the season continued on Saturday as the Premier League champions, Manchester City, were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa. 

That defeat at Villa Park marked City’s ninth in 12 games – a run which includes just one win – with Pep Guardiola’s side stuck in a seemingly never-ending rut that nobody could have predicted coming into the season. 

The returns of Mateo Kovacic and John Stones were expected to help the champions stop the rot but neither could have enough of a positive impact to prevent a third straight loss, which has left City 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand. 

Toffees to provide a tough test

Normally, a visit from a relegation-threatened side such as Everton would represent a stroll in the park for Guardiola’s men, but they are hard to trust in this current form and the Toffees may smell blood. 

Sean Dyche’s side are still toiling away towards the bottom of the table, sitting 15th, but a draw with title-chasing Arsenal in their last away game and a subsequent stalemate with Chelsea at Goodison Park suggest they might not be without hope at the Etihad. 

Their 0-0 draw with Chelsea snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Blues, proving that the Toffees are more than capable of frustrating the best teams in the Premier League on their day. 

Dyche’s side set for Boxing Day joy

For all of their troubles, City do still fall into that category, and they will dominate possession and create plenty of chances on Saturday. 

However, Jordan Pickford has been in sensational form of late, almost single-handedly earning his side a point at the Emirates, and he will likely be tough to beat again, with the return of promising centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite another reason for the Toffees’ improved defensive resilience.  

Dyche is a master at getting his team to dig in and defend for their lives, especially on their travels where they have lost just two of their last six matches, and it could pay to back Everton to upset the odds and add to the champions’ growing misery on Saturday. 

Four of Everton’s last six matches have finished level, so take them as a double-chance selection for safety, with the 0-0 scoreline which has occurred in all of those stalemates makes for the best correct-score bet, given the form of Pickford and the constant misfiring from City’s forwards.