The international window has closed, and players have made their way back to their respective training grounds. For the Manchester City players who left for international duty, many have returned without injury. While Jack Grealish and a couple others might have picked up a knock or two, Pep Guardiola should nearly have a full complement of players available.
Everton and Rafael Benitez won’t be as lucky. After losing both Abdoulaye Doucouré and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to the medical room, the injury woes continue for the Toffees. Tom Davies now joins them and expected to miss a fair amount of time after sustaining a knee injury in training. Regardless of who is available, Benitez must get to work and figure out how to break their over two-month winless streak. Odds via PointsBet Sportsbook:
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Manchester City vs Everton (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET)
Three-way Moneyline: Manchester City (-700) | Draw (+700) | Everton (+1600)
Manchester City find themselves just three games shy of Chelsea and with a very winnable fixture ahead of them. While Guardiola would like to be on top of the table come December, he would be wise to rotate those who logged heavy minutes and self-reported fitness issues during the international window. A Wednesday Champions League match against PSG might force Guardiola’s hand. While they are likely to advance to the next stage, they will want to have fresh legs heading into the busiest part of the season.
Grealish is already doubtful and Kevin De Bruyne self-reported that he has been playing through pain this season. We could see a midfield that is comprised of Silva, Rodri, and Ilkay Gundogan. Leaving Guardiola with a decision on which forwards he will start. My guess is we will see Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden, and Pep will decide between Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Jesus. Similar to compositions he’s used in the past.
With these possible lineups it makes me want to look at any time scorer proposition bets. You could realistically make an argument in backing any of the three forwards and even possibly Gundogan’s any time scorer propositions. However, I am going to back Phil Foden to score a goal against Everton (+120).
The last match up between these two clubs saw Manchester City win 5-0. A match where three of the five goals were scored by forwards. One of the goals scored from a midfielder was a 53rd minute goal from inside the penalty area by Foden. Foden will likely line up in the false nine position, a spot where he has seen success. Basically, a false nine is a center forward who moves to the ball in a deeper position from a higher starting point. Foden has scored three goals in six matches from this position, which proves to be a more advantageous position than him out on the wings.
Everton’s away from home defensive struggles have been evident this season. They are allowing 1.6 goals per match on the road, with an xGA of 1.5. Everton allow over 13 shots per game on the road and most of their shots come inside the 18-yard box. If you allow a player of Foden’s caliber to tee off inside your own area, goals are likely to fall. Back Foden ATS +120.
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