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Everton vs Manchester City, Premier League: Team News, Preview, Predictions

City will look to take a giant step towards the title against a team that always makes it tough for Pep’s boys

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Manchester City v Everton - Premier League Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Everton (9th, 40pts) vs Manchester City (1st, 81pts)


Competition/Round: 2017-18 Premier League, Matchday 31

Man City team news: John Stones, Sergio Agüero (out), Benjamin Mendy (doubtful)

Everton team news: Gylfi Sigurdsson, Eliaquim Mangala, James McCarthy, Mason Holgate, Maarten Stekelenburg (out), Idrissa Gueye (doubtful)

Date/Time: Saturday, March 31st, 2018, 5.30pm GMT (UK), 6.30pm WAT (Nigeria), 12.30pm EST, 9.30am PST (USA), 10pm IST (India)

Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England

Referee: Paul Tierney

How to watch on TV: BT Sport 1 (UK), NBC (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), SuperSport 3 (Nigeria), Star Sports Select 1 (India), others

How to stream: BT Sport Live (UK), NBC Sports Live (USA), TSN GO (Canada), FuboTV (7-day free trial, click here to sign up)


After about 18 months of international break, Manchester City are back in action looking to win the Premier League title within the next two weeks. Two wins will do the job and will see City lift the trophy at home after winning the Manchester Derby, and what a beautiful scene that will be.

The Derby is next week, though, so City must first focus on what is always a very difficult trip to Goodison Park to face Everton. The Toffees sit comfortably in mid-table and Sam Allardyce has once against saved a team from relegation, and while this isn’t the season Everton fans were hoping after the insane investment last summer, at least they won’t go down to the Championship.

Everton are always tough to beat at home and they’ve been quite good against City. Pep Guardiola is yet to beat Everton in three meetings, and his only trip to Goodison saw his team lose 4-0 in the worst performance of the Guardiola Era. It’s quite clear that this is not an easy fixture and it’ll be very hard to win it, but this Manchester City side has made very hard matches look easy all season long. Can they do it again?


POSSIBLE LINEUPS

Man City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Danilo; De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Silva; Sterling, Jesus, Sané

Everton (4-3-3): Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Jagielka, Baines; Davies, Gueye, Rooney; Walcott, Tosun, Bolasie


PREDICTION

Playing at Goodison is never easy and we were destroyed there the last time, but we’ll get the job done here: 2-0 to the leaders.