Manchester City are set to continue their charge for a historic treble this weekend with a visit to Goodison Park where they will take on Everton. The defending champions will be hoping to maintain their slender one-point lead at the top of the Premier League table over Arsenal with a game in hand, as they face the Toffees, who are currently sitting in the 17th spot and desperate to pull off an upset win and consolidate their position away from relegation.
City’s path towards achieving the combination of trophies including the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup is not getting any easier. They’re coming off a highly contested 1-1 draw midweek against Real Madrid in the Champions League, and will be heavily rotating their squad, keeping next week’s second leg in mind. Pep Guardiola will be hoping that the likes of Julian Alvarez, Riyad Mahrez, and Phil Foden will be ready to step up against the Blues, who are never easy to face away at Goodison.
Meanwhile, Everton managed to create a two-point barrier over the nearest relegation rivals, and currently find themselves in the 17th spot after pulling off a huge 1-5 victory over Brighton away last week. They managed to score five goals for the first time this season and convincingly defeated a Brighton side chasing Europe in the process. Manager Sean Dyche will be hoping that the key Man Dwight McNeil, with seven goal contributions (five goals, two assists), will deliver again against City and continue his good run of form.
The game against Everton will be physically gruelling for City, and Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland is expected to play a crucial role in breaking the deadlock and leading his team to victory. He’s been in outrageous form this season, already breaking almost every single goal-scoring record available including the golden boot and the all-time season record, and is currently on 35 goals. He will be looking to add to his tally and target reaching the 40-goal mark for the first time and creating history.
Although Everton faces the biggest challenge this week as they host the defending champions, the Toffees have home advantage and City’s heavy squad rotation could prove to be their advantage. If Everton employs an effective strategy to exploit City’s weaknesses and defend stoutly while penetrating with counter-attacks, then there is a potential to pull off an upset win.
However, City’s versatility, experience in these situations, and the ability to bring game-changers from the bench could prove to be the difference in the end. This game can be potential banana skin on route to retaining the Premier League, but City’s quality could see them scrape a narrow 0-1 win.
Overall, it promises to be an intriguing matchup between two teams with different objectives. While City looks to extend their lead at the top and continue their treble dream alive, Everton wants to ensure safety away from relegation. Fans around the World will be tuning in to witness if Everton can pull off the upset win or if City maintains their momentum towards the league title.
