Manchester City vs Everton Prediction & Tips
Manchester City once again looks on course to finish the season well, and with it, a fourth consecutive Premier League title. They came from behind to beat Brentford 3-1 on Monday night, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 games, with each of the last nine in that period ending in wins. Crucially, they moved to within two points of current league leaders Liverpool, so a win in this game against Everton could see them move to the top of the table – albeit provisionally.
They have a chance of achieving this, with the head-to-head record being largely in their favor, being unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League home games against Everton (G7, E5). One of those draws came last season, but the fact that City have dropped points in just three of their 20 home league games since then (E3) shows just how formidable they are at the Etihad.
Consequently, a tricky battle awaits Everton, who have made an inconsistent start to 2024. The Toffees have drawn four of their six official games so far (G1, P1), with the latest draw in that run being a 2-2 draw against Tottenham last weekend. That fast-paced clash was the first to register four or more total goals in their last seven matches – coincidentally since a 3-1 loss to City in late December.
That has contributed to Everton starting the day with the lowest goals-per-game average in the league, with their 23 games so far generating an average of just 2.43. Sean Dyche’s side would surely prefer to play another close engagement, especially if it leads to them adding to their 17 away points in the league – that’s already more than in either of their last two campaigns (2021/22 – ten points, 2022/23 – fifteen points).
Players to watch: Phil Foden scored a hat-trick in Monday’s win, the thirty-ninth by a City player in the Premier League – only Liverpool (41) and Arsenal (42) record more. Jordan Pickford finished the previous league round with eight clean sheets, more than any other goalkeeper in the league, but has never recorded one against City in 14 attempts, while only conceding more goals against Spurs (36) than against the Citizens (35).
Standout Fact: City’s five clean sheets after 22 Premier League games is their lowest tally since 2016/17 (4).
Manchester City – Everton FREE TIPS
OVER 3.5 GOALS @ 2.25
