Head-to-head history
Based on the history, you’d have to believe City will finally get back on track here. They’ve won 13 of the last 14 meetings dating back to 2017, going unbeaten during that span. The only point Everton picked up was in a 1-1 stalemate on New Year’s Eve in 2022. Needless to say, the Sky Blues have absolutely dominated the Toffees in recent memory. Last season in two matches, they bagged five goals and conceded just once.
City needs a victory
It has been a long time since anyone has seen Man City play this poorly. The reigning champions are down in seventh place in the table and 12 points off the top. Their title hopes are slowly drifting away, although it’s still very early in the campaign. Pep Guardiola’s men have lost three games in a row and nine of their last 12 matches. This has truly been a nightmare spell for one of the most prestigious clubs in the world.
The Sky Blues are likely going to miss out on advancing in the Champions League as well, so England is essentially their primary focus. While they’re dealing with a ton of injuries, there’s no excuse to be putting up such atrocious results on a weekly basis. During this three-game winless run, City has scored just two goals while conceding six, tasting defeat against Juventus, Manchester United in the derby, and Aston Villa on Saturday.
Jhoan Duran opened the scoring early in the first half before Morgan Rogers doubled Villa’s lead in the second half. Phil Foden netted late in injury time, but it was too little too late. While Guardiola’s group had their fair share of chances, they couldn’t put them away. There are a lot of problems defensively but City needs Erling Haaland to find his scoring touch again. He hasn’t bagged a goal in three games. Despite their form, the hosts head into Thursday’s affair as a heavy -270 favorite at Betway.
Everton also struggling
The Toffees have managed to stay in the top flight over the last few years, but they typically hover around 15th. That’s exactly where they sit right now, just four points above safety with a 3-7-6 record. Everton’s only victories this term came against Wolverhampton, Ipswich Town, and Crystal Palace. However, their last win was on December 4.
Sean Dyche’s side has grabbed a pair of points across their previous two matches against a pair of solid opponents in Arsenal and Chelsea. Both games ended scoreless, a testament to Everton’s ability to keep both clubs at bay in the final third. The Blues had loads of opportunities on Sunday but couldn’t find the back of the net, controlling 75% of the possession.
The Toffees backline has been pretty strong, conceding just 21 times in 16 outings. However, the Merseyside outfit does struggle to score, with only 14 goals. Dwight McNeil is their leading man up top with three goals and three assists but he’s been injured since early December. Perhaps Everton can take advantage of City’s defensive woes. All soccer betting sportsbooks have the visitors as a massive underdog on Thursday since they last won versus Manchester City in January of 2017.
