The race to the top of the English Premier League is getting even more exciting with Manchester City closing in on leaders Chelsea. City will need a strong effort at home against a struggling Everton side who find themselves in the middle of the pack at 11th. Will the defending champions have another big win to further their title defense? Or will Everton pull off the upset?
Man City’s rivals, Manchester United also have a big game ahead against Southampton on Monday. Check out our preview for that exciting game here.
[sc:Soccer ]Manchester City vs. Everton Preview
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
When: Saturday, December 6, 12:30 PM ET
Line: Everton +475 at Manchester City -230, tie +315; total 2.5 – view all EPL lines
What’s At Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Manchester City are catching up to first-place Chelsea now down by just six points. They’ll need to string together a couple more wins to maintain their position or even inch closer should Chelsea suffer a surprising upset in the coming weeks.
Betting on Manchester City
Manchester City are on a roll, winning their last four games across all competitions. Included in their streak is a 3-2 win over Bundesliga’s top team Bayern Munich in the Champions League thanks to a hat trick from electric Argentinian forward Sergio Aguero.
Domestically, Man City are coming off a 3-0 demolition of then-second-place Southampton at St. Mary’s last weekend, handing the Saints their first home loss of the year. They similarly destroyed Sunderland, 4-1, on Wednesday.
Even more impressive in their big win was their solid defense despite missing key members in their backline. Captain Vincent Kompany continued to sit out to rest an injured hamstring while his defensive partner, Eliaquim Mangala, didn’t suit up due to a suspension.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini opted for a makeshift pairing in Martin Demichelis and Dedryck Boyata, who eventually clamped down on the Black Cats after falling behind from Connor Wickham’s opening-goal.
Aguero then had a brace and an assist, bringing his total to five goals and three assists in the four-game win streak. He’ll be very dangerous in Man City’s frontline especially against Everton’s sketchy central defense.
Stevan Jovetic is also a solid attacker up front, netting a goal against Southampton. Jovetic has two goals and two assists in the past four Premier League games to give the defending champions another option to find the back of the net.
Aguero and Jovetic may have the spotlight due to their goal-scoring ways, but central midfielder Jesus Navas’ playmaking cannot be ignored. The Spanish midfielder has caused plenty of problems against opposing backlines and has regularly delivered balls to the box to nab a team-high four assists.
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Betting on Everton
Everton’s central defense cost them yet again as defender Sylvain Distin failed to contain Hull substitute Sone Aluko from netting an equalizer in the 58th minute of their Wednesday match. Finding a remedy for their wide open defense will be crucial as the Toffees face the league’s top goal scorer, Aguero, at Etihad Stadium.
With a struggling defense, Everton will need better goaltending from Tim Howard. The American goalkeeper has struggled to keep opponents off the score sheet, conceding five goals in his last four starts. If Everton can tighten up their defense, they may have a chance at pulling off an upset especially with their talent in the frontline.
Romelu Lukaku has found his groove, netting three goals in his last three games across all competitions. Using his physicality to power past opposing defenders, Lukaku may be able to beat Man City’s Demichelis and Boyata should the defending champions opt for their makeshift defense again.
Lukaku may be more dangerous up front with compatriot Kevin Mirallas creating opportunities for him. The Belgian winger found an open Lukaku for his first assist of the season in their draw against Hull. Mirallas has played a vital part in Everton’s attack with two goals and two assists in the past three games across all competitions.
Mirallas’ playmaking and Lukaku’s finishing abilities should give them opportunities to exploit their opponents’ weakness to counter attacks, should they be able to steal possession on an aggressive Man City attack.
Everton are unbeaten in five of their last seven away games.
Writer’s Prediction
Aguero leads Man City to their fifth straight win with a hat trick.
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