Manchester City vs Everton: Premier League Preview & Potential Line-ups

Manchester City's final Premier League outing of 2022 pits them against relegation-threatened Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Determined to win a third Premier League title in a row for the first time in the club's history, the Citizens thumped Leeds United 3-1 on Wednesday on the back of Erling Haaland's second-half brace.

But there's still plenty of ground to cover, as Pep Guardiola's men trail table-topping Arsenal by five points, partly thanks to a shocking 2-1 defeat to Brentford in their most recent home league match. 

Confident of following up a midweek demolition of Leeds with another clear-cut triumph, Man City could put the final nail in Frank Lampard's coffin at Everton. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers' stoppage-time winner at Goodison Park condemned the Toffees to a 2-1 loss on Boxing Day, sucking them deeper into a fierce relegation battle. 

Only one point clear of the drop zone, the Merseyside strugglers may need to wait for a better opportunity to turn their fortunes around, with their three-game losing league run looking destined to go on. 

There's not much out-of-sorts Everton can hope for at one of the most intimidating hostile venues in the country, especially considering they've gone winless on their last 11 Premier League visits to the Etihad (D4, L7). 

Match Preview

Manchester City

Before being stunned by Brentford on the stroke of the World Cup break, Man City had won 11 successive home league outings, including all of their first seven in 2022/23 by an aggregate score of 29-7.

It's unlikely that lightning will strike twice in a row, with the Citizens aiming to continue their sublime domestic form in the Christmas period, having lost their final league game just once in the last 21 calendar years (W11, D9).

Adding to this sentiment, Guardiola's men have toppled Everton in their last nine Premier League showdowns, including an emphatic 3-0 victory in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22. 

Everton

Since defeating rock-bottom Southampton 2-1 at the start of October, Lampard's men have gone winless in their last four Premier League games on the road (D1, L3), failing to score in the process. 

Conceding first would likely pave the way for another upsetting result for Everton, as they've suffered four defeats in five away league matches in which their opponents drew first blood this season (W1).

However, there's still a glimmer of hope for the Toffees. They have racked up four wins and two draws across their last six Premier League fixtures on New Year's Day. 

Manchester City vs Everton Potential Line-ups

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva; Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden. 

Everton (4-3-3): Jordan Pickford; Nathan Patterson, Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Vitaliy Mykolenko; Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye, Alex Iwobi; Anthony Gordon, Neal Maupay, Demarai Gray.