Everton vs Manchester City Team news Central defender Eliaquim Mangala is available for Manchester City after serving a one-match ban in midweek. Aleksandar Kolarov and Edin Dzeko could return after overcoming calf injuries, but Stevan Jovetic will be rested. Everton defender Antolin Alcaraz returns after missing six games in all competitions with a shoulder problem. Arouna Kone and Bryan Oviedo may feature as they near full fitness, but Steven Naismith and James McCarthy (both hamstring) are unlikely to play. Match Preview The real Manchester City seem to have stood up. Prior to that dramatic last five minutes against Bayern Munich, the prospect of City exerting any real pressure on Chelsea in the domestic title race seemed fairly slim. Results were not catastrophic by any means, but performance levels were below what weve come to expect. That Sergio Aguero-engineered explosion against the German defence seems to have had the dual effect of keeping City in contention for a place in the knockout stage of the Champions League and of injecting new confidence in the little Argentines team-mates. City were relatively untroubled by the challenge of Southampton at St Marys last Sunday, and on Wednesday night they were on a different level to Sunderland. Collectively, City look the part again, and individually Aguero looks sensational. Their big European test of that new-found belief follows four days later in Rome. In contrast to Manchester City, Everton have breezed through their European commitments so far, dominating a potentially difficult Europa League group. In the Premier League, Everton have found life a bit tougher, winning just one of their last five matches and sitting in mid-table. I wonder whether the fact that this seasons Europa League winners are guaranteed, at worst, a place in the Champions League play-offs and possible direct entry to the group stage of the competition, has had an impact here. After all, whats more likely, Everton finish in the top four or Everton win the Europa League? It may be that the club has decided that cracking the top four again - as they did in 2005 - is just too expensive and too difficult, and that Europa League success offers a more realistic route to the Champions League and the opportunities to invest in better players that comes as a result. Whether thats the case or not, Everton will want to ensure that they are regulars in one of the European competitions and, like City, need to juggle both jobs more effectively. Head-to-head Manchester City beat Everton home and away last season to record their first double in this fixture since 1980-81. Prior to last season, Everton had won six of the previous eight meetings (D1, L1). Citys only clean sheet in their last 17 games against the Toffees came in a 2-0 home win in September 2011. Manchester City They have lost just one of their last 11 league matches (W7, D3). City have dropped four points at home this season - as many as in the entirety of 2013-14. Manuel Pellegrinis side have earned nine points from losing positions this season, a joint-league high with Chelsea and Spurs. Sergio Aguero has scored 30 goals in his last 33 Premier League appearances, with 11 coming in his last nine. Frank Lampard has scored 174 Premier League goals, leaving him one behind fourth-placed Thierry Henry in the list of all-time goalscorers. Lampard has scored three goals in his last three Premier League starts against Everton. Everton Everton are nine points worse off after 14 matches than at the same stage last season. Roberto Martinezs side have won one of their last five league games but only lost one of their last seven. They have the fifth worst defensive record in the division, having conceded 22 goals in 14 matches. It took them 23 matches to concede as many goals last season, when only Chelsea and Manchester City ended the campaign with a better defensive record. Roberto Martinez has never beaten Manchester City in 10 attempts in the Premier League (D1, L9), although his Wigan side did win against City in the 2013 FA Cup final.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 23:07:58 +0000
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