The second round of Premier League action concludes at the Etihad Stadium on Monday evening as Manchester City play host to Everton.

Both sides made winning starts to their respective campaigns last time out and will head into this match full of early-season confidence.

Manchester City

It is fair to say that, following a summer outlay of more than £200m on new recruits, the pressure is well and truly on City boss Pep Guardiola to add some silverware to the collection this season.

The Catalan coach admitted last season that, had he still been in position at former clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he would have likely been sacked at the end of a trophyless campaign.

There is little chance of that happening any time soon at the Etihad, but Guardiola will be desperate to prove himself in his sophomore year in English football after being heavily backed by his bosses over the past couple of months.

Last week's opener at Brighton & Hove Albion offered supporters a first glimpse of their revamped side in competitive action, beginning with a hard-fought 2-0 triumph on the south coast against the newly-promoted side.

For all the Citizens' dominance at The Amex, though, they had to wait until the final quarter of the match to find their two goals, both of which came direct from opposition mistakes.

Luck is something City did not have a great deal of in 2016-17, mind, with key playmaker Kevin De Bruyne hitting the post nine times alone, so Guardiola will be hoping that the own goal to kill off that opening fixture is a sign of better things to come.

Monday's showdown with potential top-four challengers Everton will be a far tougher test, though, particularly coming on home soil where they struggled to break down teams at times last season - eight draws and one defeat there across 19 fixtures.

Just 37 goals were netted, too, meaning that a vast improvement is required at the Etihad Stadium if City are to bridge the vast gap on last term's champions, starting with three points this weekend.

Recent form in Premier League: W

Everton

Like City, Everton headed into the new campaign on the back of a busy summer, although unlike their opponents they lost their star man in Romelu Lukaku.

Splashing out nine figures on new signings is all well and good, but it remains to be seen whether the attacking talents will make up for the loss of Lukaku, who netted another 25 goals in his final campaign at Goodison Park.

It is so far, so good on that front, having edged out Stoke City 1-0 in their opener - returning boyhood fan Wayne Rooney scoring the only goal to cap a dream league return - before overcoming Hajduk Split in the first leg of their Europa League playoff.

Reaching the group stages of UEFA's secondary competition is a big priority for Ronald Koeman, knowing that it provides a direct route into the Champions League - a route that Manchester United used to their advantage last term when finishing sixth.

Bridging the gap to the elite sides is also high on the agenda, with the Toffees respectably ending just one place below United last time out, though that does not tell the whole story as there was an eight-point gap between the teams.

Everton were a little reliant on their home form in 2016-17, racking up their highest points tally on Merseyside since 1989-90, but winning just four times on their travels against West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City, Sunderland and Crystal Palace - a record that needs improving.

Time to gel is imperative for Koeman and his new recruits although with City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to come in quick succession over the next month, it could be a real slog when it comes to getting some points on the board.

Everton humbled City in their most recent encounter, however, and will now be looking to send out a message of intent in the first of this tough run of games. A season of anticipation awaits in what is an exciting period for the Toffees.

Recent form in Premier League: W

Team News

Ross Barkley, who seemed likely to be sold this summer, is expected to miss the next three months due to a hamstring problem in a blow to the Merseyside outfit's hopes of challenging on four fronts.

Record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson, recruited from Swansea City for £45m after weeks of intense speculation, is likely to come in for his debut at the Etihad Stadium.

There is a question mark over the fitness of Sandro Ramirez, who sat out the European win over Hajduk with a knock, but Koeman expects to have him back by the time Monday's game arrives.

City are unlikely to welcome back midfielder Ilkay Gundogan just yet, meanwhile, despite the German featuring in the midweek friendly defeat to Girona.

It is a similar story for Benjamin Mendy, who has trained but will not be risked, while Fabian Delph is the other absentee for this second Premier League matchday.

Guardiola had a number of options available to him from the bench at Brighton, including Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, and he will almost certainly make the most of the depth by rotating against the Toffees - Sergio Aguero a possible victim if that is the case.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Stones, Danilo; Fernandinho; D.Silva, B.Silva, De Bruyne, Sane; Jesus

Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Keane, Williams, Jagielka; Calvert-Lewin, Klaassen, Gueye, Schneiderlin, Baines; Ramirez, Rooney

Head To Head

Everton beat City 4-0 when the sides last met in January, while also claiming a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in Manchester.

The Citizens are unbeaten in six Premier League home matches against the Toffees, though, with three of those ending all square.

Former Man United striker Rooney is going in search of his 200th top-flight goal on Monday night, meanwhile, with eight of those coming against City - only Alan Shearer (11) has netted more.

We say: Manchester City 1-1 Everton

Four wins from four for Everton so far in all competitions, with the fixtures already starting to pile up at this early stage of the season. The Toffees fared well against City last season and they have momentum on their side, which could see them bag a point on their travels.