Manchester City v Everton: Premier League predictions, odds & free tip

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester City v Everton in the Premier League.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 5.30pm Wednesday

Best bet

Draw
1pt 11-2 general
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Team news

Manchester City
Ederson returns after a one-game ban but Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane (both knee) are sidelined. David Silva (leg) and John Stones (unspecified injury) are back in contention.

Everton
Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Alex Iwobi (both hamstring) and Andre Gomes (ankle) are out but Morgan Schneiderlin (calf) is available.

Match preview

Everton are unbeaten in six games since sacking Marco Silva and look overpriced to share the points with Manchester City at the Etihad as Carlo Ancelotti aims to continue his strong start to life on Merseyside.

City have almost certainly dropped too many points in the title race and may have to readjust their goals and priorities as the season progresses.

However, the Champions League does not return until February and Pep Guardiola is unlikely to hold first-choice players back for Saturday's FA Cup third round tie at home to Port Vale.

Beating Everton is Guardiola's immediate priority but it looks a tougher task than the markets anticipate.

Everton have had an extra day's preparation and should feel slightly fresher than City, who are facing their third match in six days.

In the first of City's post-Christmas fixtures – a 3-2 defeat at Wolves – they put in a huge effort to no avail, playing with ten men after the early dismissal of Ederson.

Two days later City were below their best in a 2-0 victory at home to Sheffield United and they are unlikely to return to peak performance at the end of such a hectic schedule.

The biggest positive for City to take out of the United game was the contribution of Sergio Aguero, who scored the opening goal and completed 80 minutes.

Aguero was sidelined for four weeks between November and December but seems close to regaining full fitness and poses the biggest danger to an Everton side who haven't kept a clean sheet on their Premier League travels since a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the season.

In an effort to contain City's star-studded attack, Ancelotti is likely to divert from the ultra-attacking 4-4-2 deployed at Newcastle on Saturday.

Ancelotti used two wingers in Theo Walcott and Richarlison, two strikers with Moise Kean alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin and attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson was deployed in a deeper role at St James' Park. It paid off with the Toffees winning 2-1.

At least one of those players will surely be sacrificed against City but Ancelotti's side should still carry a significant threat.

Calvert-Lewin has scored five goals in his last five league appearances and might have an outside chance of forcing his way into Gareth Southgate's Euro 2020 plans.

He is making the centre-forward position his own, allowing Richarlison to play as a wide attacker where he is far better suited.

Given the talent in Everton's squad, there is scope for them to have a positive second half of the season and perhaps enter the race for Europa League qualification.

Everton's recent six-match unbeaten run includes a 3-1 victory at home to Chelsea and a 1-1 draw at Manchester United, showing they are far from daunted by taking on heavyweight clubs.

City will be the best team they have faced since Silva's demise but Everton's recent record at the Etihad is better than the majority of their top-flight rivals.

The Toffees have drawn on three of their last four league visits to the venue and have a reasonable chance of taking another point against the jaded champions.