Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Following a come-from-behind win over Brentford, Manchester City will look to overtake Liverpool in top position when they welcome Everton to their Etihad Stadium in Saturday’s matinee. The Citizens are eyeing their tenth consecutive win in all competitions and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. Erling Haland returned to the starting XI on Monday evening and the Norway superstar will continue leading the line for the reigning champions. Pep Guardiola has a luxury to field the best possible side against Everton.
The Toffees, on the other hand, played out a 2-2 draw with Tottenham at the weekend, with Jarrad Branthwaite scoring a late equalizer. Everton, though, will have a much bigger fish to fry against Man City, who are bolstered by the return of duo De Bruyne – Haaland. As for the away team, both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Amadou Onana are major doubts and they will be assessed ahead of the kick-off.
Highlighted Player (Mateo Kovacic):
Born to Croatian parents in Linz, Austria, Mateo Kovacic spent seven years in the LASK Linz youth academy before joining Dinamo Zagreb, where he showed a great deal of potential shortly after being promoted to the senior squad.
The good return of 7 goals in 43 league appearances saw him secure a high-profile move to Inter Milan, where he acted as both holding midfielder and attacking midfielder, during the three years at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. And despite not exactly impressing in Italy, Kovacic was purchased by mighty Real Madrid, where he has been ever since. The youngster is widely regarded as one of Croatia’s most talented footballers at the moment and he has represented the country on international stage since the age of 19.
In just three years he managed to make over 25 appearances for the national team, playing at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 finals for Vatreni. Kovavic has yet to be given a real chance to impress at Real Madrid, but he has entire future ahead of him.
Highlighted Team (Everton):
Everton are one of the two Merseyside giants that were formed back in 1878, with the club holding a long-standing rivalry with Liverpool. Everton have participated in the English top flight for a record 113 seasons, with the team competing in the English second tier in just four campaigns.
The Toffees play their home matches at Goodison Park, the stadium that was opened in 1892. Everton have won the national championship nine times, with the team winning their last domestic trophy back in 1987.
The Toffees have clinched five FA Cup trophies as well and it has to be noted that a victory over Manchester United in the 1994/1995 FA Cup final helped the team win their last title in the prestigious competition. Everton and Liverpool face each other in the Merseyside derby and the clash between the two local rivals has been called the Merseyside derby since 1955.
In the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign Everton were hammered by Liverpool (0-4) at Anfield.