Premier League: Manchester City Set For A Toffee Treat

Everton vs Manchester City

Manchester City’s march to the 2020/21 Premier League title is gathering pace and the bandwagon heads to Merseyside on Wednesday where the Sky Blues take on Everton.

Pep Guardiola’s team is on a 16 match winning run, a sequence which has taken them seven points clear of the chasing pack, and with this game in hand they could have a double-figure lead before the weekend.

They meet Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton who are well in the hunt for a Champions League spot, three points behind fourth placed Liverpool and with two games in hand, but they have been inconsistent of late and will be disappointed not to be higher than their current seventh place. 16 points separate these two North West giants, and we’re backing City to keep their run going and extend that gap to 19.

Talking Points

No home comfort for Everton

Defeats at Goodison Park to struggling sides Newcastle United and, on Sunday, Fulham have really put a dent in Everton’s top-four hopes, though their destiny remains in their own hands if they can win their games in hand. The Toffees wouldn’t have chosen Manchester City for the first chance though!

Everton put in an abject performance against relegation-threatened Fulham as Josh Maja scored his first Premier League goals. The Cottagers weren’t flattered by the score-line as they won the shot count by 12 to seven and three to two on target. To register just seven shots against a bottom three side is not the form of a Champions League hopeful and Ancelotti will hope for better against the league leaders. If they don’t improve massively then there will only be one outcome.

Wing-back Seamus Coleman hit the post in the first half but it took Everton over 75 minutes to register their first shot on target. Brazil striker Richarlison was strangely off the pace, while Everton’s midfield was over-run by Fulham’s energetic pressing.

Premier League: Dominic Calvert-Lewin picked up an injury in Everton's 5-4 win against Tottenham Hotspur — Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin celebrates after scoring against Manchester United

There is some good news for Everton fans though, as top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be in line for a comeback against the Sky Blues. He suffered a hamstring injury in the Toffees’ FA Cup victory over Spurs last week, but the injury is not as serious as first feared and he looks certain to play some part on Wednesday night.

Manchester City stars step up

Long term injuries to Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne gave Manchester City’s title rivals a notion that the Sky Blues might miss their two best players, but any hopes of a downturn in results have disappeared without a trace as City’s other stars have been in superb form. The Sky Blues’ Premier League 2021 results have been a little short of sensational and, as they beat Spurs 3-0 on Saturday, the number of different goal scorers over the 16 match winning run reached 14.

Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been fantastic in recent weeks, while midfielder Phil Foden has stepped up and made himself difficult to drop. Gundogan has scored 11 goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances while Foden has five goals and three assists in this campaign.

The September signing of Portuguese centre back Ruben Diaz was a masterstroke as the former Benfica man slotted seamlessly into the back four, and Guardiola said yesterday that he would not swap his players for any in the world.

As the Sky Blues continue their winning run the chasers have been faltering. As well as the Toffees’ stunning defeat at home to Fulham, Leicester City’s victory over Liverpool left the champions in the driving seat and with a clear road ahead.

The Premier League 2021 betting odds on the title returning to the Etihad for the third time in four seasons have dropped quickly in recent weeks, and it’s hard to see anyone challenging Manchester City, who have their eyes on an unprecedented quadruple of Champions League and a domestic treble.

History

Despite their current domination, the Sky Blues have a wafer-thin advantage in the head to heads, winning 19 to Everton’s 18 in the Premier League era.

The Toffees haven’t won in the last five against Manchester City and the 2019/20 clash at Goodison Park ended in a 1-3 victory for Pep Guardiola’s team.

As well as winning 16 domestic games in a row, the Sky Blues are unbeaten in 12 matches away for home, and are unbeaten in 23.

Betting Tip

	Everton vs Manchester City	Manchester City Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 2.19
	February 18, 04:15 (GMT+8)

Here at SBOTOP Manchester City are at 1.37 to win, with the draw at 4.60 and Everton at 7.80

Everton need to improve dramatically, while the Sky Blues have an off day, for this game to be anything other than another City triumph; and I just can’t see that happening.

0-2 is the most likely scoreline at odds of 6.60