Manchester City vs Everton Prediction: Toffees can provide stern test

Manchester City's poor run of form was extended at Villa Park on Saturday, and they'll be looking to transform their fortunes when they welcome Everton to the Etihad on Boxing Day (12:30, live on Prime Video).

Guardiola's side suffered their ninth defeat in 12 games at the weekend and relegation-battling Everton may smell blood on Thursday lunchtime. Read on for my Manchester City vs Everton prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

City will be without Ruben Dias until at least early January, while John Stones' early departure from the Aston Villa game leaves them looking light in terms of defensive options.

Ederson missed the Villa Park trip and Matheus Nunes is also a doubt, however Kevin De Bruyne could make a return to the XI here after the Belgian was an unused substitute against Unai Emery's side.

As for the Toffees, Timothy Iroegbunam and James Garner are both expected to be sidelined until at least mid-January, while Dwight McNeil could be back after sitting out the Chelsea draw with a knee issue.

Armando Broja will be available for selection once again after being ineligible to face his parent club last time out, but veteran full-back Ashley Young will have to sit this one out due to suspension after collecting his fifth booking of the season on Sunday.

Manchester City vs Everton Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Manchester City vs Everton page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Despite another defeat at the weekend, City remain favourites for the game at 1/3, giving them an implied win probability of 75%, the draw can be backed at 9/2, while the Toffees are 17/2 to take all three points back to Merseyside.

Erling Haaland tops the anytime goalscorer market at 3/5, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is shortest-priced for the visitors at 16/5.

Double Chance - Draw or Everton @ 11/5

As mentioned in the introduction, it's now nine defeats and a solitary success in Man City's last 12 games across all competitions as their campaign continues to spiral downwards.

Guardiola made several changes to his side from the Manchester derby defeat but it had next to no impact as his team were comfortably second-best at Villa Park on Saturday.

Normally, a visit from a relegation-threatened side such as the Blues would represent a stroll in the park for the Citizens, but they're hard to trust in this current form and the Toffees may smell blood.

Sean Dyche's men recorded a draw against title-chasing Arsenal in their previous away outing, which was followed up with another goalless stalemate against Chelsea on Sunday, snapping an eight-game winning streak for Enzo Maresca's side.

City have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning 12 and drawing two of the last 14 Premier League meetings between the pair dating back to 2017. However, the Toffees can certainly frustrate the hosts here, and I'm not interested in the 1/3 price for a City win.

Under 2.5 goals @ 11/8

It feels unlikely that we'll see a high-scoring game at the Etihad on Boxing Day.

City have been struggling to put the ball in the back of the net with their main source of goals, Haaland, netting just once in his last six league outings. Guardiola's side look devoid of confidence after such a dismal run, and Everton's defence has been excellent recently, keeping clean sheets against Arsenal and Chelsea.

In fact, the Toffees have kept more clean sheets than any other team across Europe’s top five leagues since the beginning of October - I don't see Dyche changing his approach here.

Offers

Thursday (26/12): Get DOUBLE or TREBLE the odds if your winning First Goalscorer bet scores a 2nd and 3^rd on all Premier League matches played on Boxing Day.

Thursday (26/12): Build your own Bet Builder bet (3/1+) of 4+ legs on any Premier League game on Boxing Day and get 100% of your stake back in Free Bets up to £10 if you lose. (Credited within 24 hours)

Double Delight & Hat-Trick Heaven: Place a pre-match single bet on the first goalscorer market and get DOUBLE or TREBLE the odds if your winning First Goalscorer bet scores a 2nd and 3rd.

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.