SM
Barcelona vs. Brann: 5 hrs 33 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
EL
Premier League | Gameweek 27
Feb 6, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
MC

0-2

 
FT(HT: 0-1)
Laporte (45'), Jesus (97')

5 talking points as Manchester City head to Everton in rearranged clash

:Headline: 5 talking points as Manchester City head to Everton in rearranged clash: ID:349403: from db_amp
Pep Guardiola's side can go top of the league with a win on Merseyside.

Title-chasing Manchester City are back in action as they travel to Everton on Wednesday.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at some talking points ahead of the game.

City have chance to go top

Champions Manchester City are hoping to return to the top of the table (Martin Rickett/PA)

With leaders Liverpool drawing their last two matches, City are back on the tails of the Premier League leaders. Victory in this rearranged fixture at Goodison Park will take the champions back to the top of the table. The advantage would only be goal difference and City would have played a game more, but it would nevertheless make a statement at a time when Liverpool are wobbling.

City not in best of form

City were beaten at Newcastle last week (Richard Sellers/PA)

It should not be overlooked that City's own recent form has been patchy. Sunday's victory over Arsenal may have been convincing but the Gunners were underwhelming and it is only a week since City lost poorly at Newcastle. Viewing City's Premier League games in isolation, they have lost four of their last 10. That is not the form of the juggernaut that clocked up 100 points last season.

Scheduling and City's Goodison woes

Everton thrashed City 4-0 two years ago (Peter Byrne/PA)

This game was originally scheduled to be played on February 23 but was brought forward due to City's involvement in the Carabao Cup final. There have been suggestions neither club were happy with the new date. It has certainly made it a testing week for City, with another tough clash against Chelsea at the weekend. City have largely had the measure of Everton in recent times, putting behind them what was a poor record during Roberto Mancini's spell as manager, but Pep Guardiola will not want reminding of his visit to Goodison in January 2017. City were thrashed 4-0 on that occasion – a low point of Guardiola's reign.

Pressure on Marco Silva

Marco Silva is under growing pressure at Everton (Peter Byrne/PA)

Everton's form has plummeted after their promising start under new manager Marco Silva, with the Portuguese boss accepting questions may now be being asked of his position. The team were booed off after Saturday's 3-1 loss to Wolves, their eighth defeat in their last 14 games in all competitions. Silva is being criticised for his team's lack of structure and direction, and their inability to defend set-pieces – a problem which also blighted the same manager at Hull and Watford – has been highlighted. A heavy defeat would increase the pressure.

Everton fan dilemma

The Goodison Park atmosphere could be interesting (Richard Sellers/PA)

It would not come into the players' thinking, but a number of Everton fans might actually be prepared to overlook a bad result in this fixture if it helped deny rivals Liverpool the title. When this is thrown into the mix along with the Silva situation, it could make for an odd atmosphere.

amp_article__349403 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-02-05 13:54:17:
html db last update - 2021-02-17 08:43:42 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .