Manchester City v Everton: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Manchester City fans will have spent the past few Christmases wishing for trophies, be that the Premier League or Champions League depending on how confident they feel, but this year things feel a little bit different. 

Fans of the Citizens will be wishing for simply a win this year, as Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Villa Park made it nine losses in 12 matches for the Premier League champions - a run which has seen them land a victory only once. 

Normally, a Boxing Day clash with Everton would see City fans get their Christmas wish, but it is hard to trust Pep Guardiola’s side on current form and a resurgent Everton have shown in recent weeks that they can frustrate the country’s best sides, making Thursday’s tie a tricky one to call. 

Manchester City v Everton betting tips and predictions

Everton or draw double chance - 9/4

Manchester City’s sudden demise has been one of the most shocking storylines of the season and it is now getting to the point where no matter what Guardiola tries, the issues still remain for the champions. 

Rodri’s ACL injury was arguably the catalyst for this miserable run and their injury woes have hardly eased since.

Key defenders John Stones, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias are expected to miss Thursday’s match and while Everton are not exactly a side who are likely to exploit those absences - the Toffees have scored in just one of their last seven games - City’s injury list will still have an impact on proceedings. 

A disjointed and unfamiliar backline will limit the Citizens’ ability to build attacks from the back and they may once again struggle to find their rhythm, something which could prove costly against a resolute Toffees side. 

Sean Dyche’s men have dug deep in their past two matches to draw with title-chasing Arsenal and Chelsea. Those stalemates mean Everton have now lost only two of their last 12 matches, also drawing with West Ham, Fulham and Newcastle in that impressive run. 

Home advantage is unlikely to come into play for City, given they have just one win in their last four matches at the Etihad in a sequence which has seen them lose twice and ship nine goals. 

The mood will be much higher in the away camp than the home’s on Thursday, given Everton snapped Chelsea’s eight-game winning run with their draw on Sunday while City made it three losses on the spin with their defeat at Aston Villa, and there is every chance the Toffees make it a rare miserable Boxing Day for the Citizens this Thursday. 

Under 2.5 goals - 6/4 

Given Everton have netted just four goals in their last seven matches, plus the fact all four of those strikes came in a single game against Wolves, it seems likely that if they do pull off the Christmas miracle of a win at the Etihad - they are winless in 14 visits - it will be by a fine margin. 

Any hope they do have of a win will likely require them to shut out City. Based on history, the notion of that seems ridiculous, but recent results suggest that it may not be as improbable as it sounds. 

Jordan Pickford has looked like a man possessed when keeping clean sheets against Arsenal and Chelsea - no mean feat given those sides have scored a combined 71 Premier League goals this term - and England’s charismatic number one would love for nothing more than completing a hat-trick of sensational shutouts at the Etihad. 

With that in mind, and eight of Everton’s last 10 matches featuring less than three goals, the under makes huge appeal for Thursday’s clash. 

Manchester City have struggled to find their shooting boots of late, netting just twice across their last three matches, making the huge 18/1 price for a 0-0 draw - the result in four of Everton’s last six games - also worth considering for a small-stakes punt. 

Seamus Coleman to be booked - 9/2

Along with City’s downfall, another shock storyline from the season has been the form of 39-year-old Ashley Young, who has been one of Everton’s most important players this season despite his age. 

The evergreen full-back has been impressive at both ends, but he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the draw with Chelsea and will miss this clash, meaning another aging right-back, Seamus Coleman, will be called upon at the Etihad. 

The Toffees captain only made his return from injury last weekend, however, playing his first 18 minutes of football since playing for Ireland in early September, suggesting he may be a bit rusty. 

Throwing Coleman in at the deep end could be a big ask and up against a tricky City winger - be that Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Savinho or Jeremy Doku - he may be forced into a couple of fouls and rates a solid candidate to end up in the referee’s book.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.

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Manchester City v Everton odds

Manchester City - 1/3
Draw - 9/2
Everton - 13/2

View the full market and more odds for Manchester City v Everton on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.