Premier League: Sky Blues Won’t Find the Toffees Too Sticky

Manchester City vs Everton

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City’s push towards to the top of the Premier League continues after the international break when Everton are the visitors to the Etihad Stadium. 

Back to back wins have taken the Sky Blues up to fifth place in the Premier League table while Everton are in eighth place and two points behind their hosts. David Moyes, who returned to Everton as manager after a 12 year absence, has stabilised and strengthened the club which has, for a number of years, been flirting with relegation.

But the Toffees have a key player missing for this clash, as Jack Grealish is unable to play against his parent club, and with some of their own stars hitting top form the Sky Blues will be confident of picking up three crucial points on Saturday afternoon.    

 

Talking Points

City can keep the pressure on 

Liverpool’s recent stutters have opened up the title race and the latest Premier League 2025 betting odds have installed Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal as the favourites, with the Reds and Sky Blues as the two clubs which can stop the Gunners. Current leaders Arsenal have come up short, as runners up for three seasons consecutively and, with just three points separating these three clubs and 31 games to play, there is nothing settled and very little advantage for anyone.  

It will worry Arsenal fans particularly that, after underperforming in 2024/25, there are some clear signs that the Sky Blues may be back to their best this season. Erling Haaland is in the form of his life, plundering 21 goals for club and country in his the first 12 games of the campaign. The Norway star scored the winner in the Sky Blues clash with Brentford and his hat-trick in Norway’s 5-0 win over Israel this week meant he has scored in ten consecutive games, for the first time in his career. 

Guardiola has freshened up his squad and, while City legend Kevin de Bruyne transferred to Napoli, 27 year old Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijdners signed from AC Milan and he has proved to be another creative genius, the likes of which Sky Blue fans have become used to over the past decade. With Azzurri stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the nets and Rodri back in the defensive midfield role, the spine at City is looking stronger then ever.  

 

How will Toffees cope without Grealish? 

Quite clearly, one of the man factors in Everton’s strong start to the campaign was the loan signing of Jack Grealish from Manchester City. The 30-year-old has made a huge impression on Merseyside making four assists in six games and scoring a dramatic winner against high-flying Crystal Palace before the international break. His signing for Everton was one of the big Premier League 2025 news stories of the summer but Grealish will not be allowed to play against the Sky Blues, so Moyes has a bit of shuffling to do in his pack. 

The Everton manager has three candidates who can fill Grealish’s boots. Dwight McNeill has been the go to left winger for the Toffees over the past couple of seasons but he has failed to impress so far this term, and young Tyler Dibling still has to improve before he commands a regular place. So the nod may go to Kiernan Dewsbury Hall who has put in some strong performances; he missed the win over the Eagles through suspension so he may well drop back into the first eleven now that he is available again.    

 

History 

Over the past three decades these two giants of northwest football have met 54 times. The Sky Blues have won 25 of those encounters while Everton have won 17 and there have been 12 draws. 

In terms of recent form the Sky Blues are clicking through the gears, picking up four wins and two draws from their last six games, the draws against Arsenal and AS Monaco, while the Toffees have been steady away, with two wins, two defeats and two draws. 

 

Betting Tip

City are hot, hot, hot at SBOTOP odds of 1.47 to win this tasty clash with Everton at 7.50 and the draw priced at 4.75; and I’m with the Sky Blues on this one. City seem to be in a good place at the moment after a period of transition, with Haaland on fire. Everton are without the man who has given them stardust and a 2-0 result at odds of 6.50 seems very likely to me.

   

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