Allen Hamilton
What: English Premier League
Who: Manchester City vs Everton
When: Saturday 24th September, at 12:45 UK Time
Where: Eastlands, Manchester, England
Ready to Make Up the Ground
Manchester City dropped their first points of the season last weekend when only able to leave Craven Cottage with a 2-2 draw against Fulham. That result, combined with Manchester United’s win over Chelsea, meant that Roberto Mancini’s side lost ground on their rivals. On the face of it a two-point deficit is barely worth worrying about for the Citizens, but given United’s all-conquering form, it is safe to assume any further slip-ups will be punished accordingly.
Mancini’s men bounced back in midweek by seeing off Birmingham City in the League Cup, though the Italian opted to rest many of his first team regulars. As a result, the side which takes to the pitch to face Everton should be fresh and perhaps that could be the crucial factor in this game. Indeed, City will be glad if it is as they look for omens to break a run of four straight defeats against the Toffees.
"Whenever I’ve played against them over the past five years they’ve always been a tough team to play", said City midfielder James Milner. "They’re determined and well organised, but it’s up to us to go out and break those sorts of teams down and make sure we take all three points."
Forgetting Off-Pitch Blues
Everton’s attention has, understandably, been directed to off-the-pitch matters of late, with limited transfer activity in the summer, the sale of key midfielder Mikel Arteta and fan protests about chairman Bill Kenwright’s failure to sell the club.
Unfortunately for the Toffees’ faithful, no white knight is on the horizon and manager David Moyes will once again have to squeeze every last drop of talent from his current crop. Even if Moyes manages this, a return to the heady days of fourth place in 2005 looks impossible, although a comfortable upper mid-table spot would still represent wonders worked on a shoe-string budget.
Everton come into this game though at a disadvantage even before a ball is kicked – and not just because of the relative disparity between chequebook sizes. In midweek League Cup action, Moyes’ men were taken to extra time by fellow Premier League outfit West Brom, and due to Everton’s thin squad, a relative first team side was fielded. The toll this took will only be evident when battle has commenced at Eastlands.
"This is like going into a gunfight and I have got a knife, so I am going to have to do the best I can", commented Moyes.
Recent form
Manchester City:
Manchester City 1-1 Napoli
(14/09; Champions League)
Fulham 2-2 Manchester City
(18/09; Premier League)
Manchester City 2-0 Birmingham City (21/09; League Cup)
Everton:
Everton 2-2 Aston Villa
(10/09; Premier League)
Everton 3-1 Wigan (17/09; Premier League)
Everton 2-1 West Brom (21/09; League Cup)
Key absences
Manchester City: Nigel de Jong
Everton: Victor Anichebe
Players to watch
Manchester City – Carlos Tevez: The Argentine has been overshadowed by his countryman Sergio Aguero this season and, wanting to leave City, it is little surprise that Mancini should hand the goalscoring responsibilities to someone else. But Tevez is still a quality player and, if he gets his chance, will be keen to show that, no matter off-the-pitch worries and uncertainty, he can still lead City to victory.
Everton – Phil Neville: As a former Manchester United stalwart, the Everton captain would gain extra pleasure from beating City and, even as age creeps up, Neville shows no sign of slowing down. The author of a wonderful extra-time strike to put the Toffees through in the League Cup in midweek, Neville looks in good form. His experience will be crucial in this one.
Match Prediction
Everton have had the better of contests between these two sides in recent years, even with the huge investment that has been poured into City. But a midweek League Cup match combined with a wafer-thin squad means that the task has never been tougher for David Moyes’ men.
Expect City’s quality and freshness to show here. Manchester City 2-0 Everton.
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