Manchester City welcome Everton to the Etihad Stadium on New Year's Eve in a game with very differing implications for both.
Frank Lampard's job at Everton is arguably now the most fragile in the whole top flight.
Match preview
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Arsenal's excellence means that despite a very strong start to the season, Man City find themselves five points adrift from the top.
Thirty-five points from a possible 45 is a phenomenal start, but a defeat to Brentford before the break has been very costly.
Over the course of a 38-game season though, City are still the most fancied side to finish on top.
That is largely thanks to the presence of Erling Braut Haaland up front, who made it 20 Premier League goals for the season already in their 3-1 win over Leeds United on Wednesday, the fastest it has taken anyone to reach that milestone in a campaign.
Strength in depth is the other major factor, as manager Pep Guardiola could afford to leave Phil Foden, Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte on the bench in midweek, and still win comfortably.
They have beaten Everton in all of their last 10 meetings, but the last meeting at Goodison in February proved very controversial when City took all three points despite avoiding a very clear penalty being given against them following a handball by Rodri.
Four straight losses in all competitions for Everton, all against sides in around the relegation zone, have left Lampard on the brink at Goodison Park.
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Leicester City came to Goodison and beat them convincingly before Bournemouth completed a league and cup double over the Toffees in the space of a few days before the World Cup break, scoring seven goals across the two games.
On their competitive return, bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers compiled the misery by coming to Merseyside and leaving with three points thanks to a 95th-minute winner from Rayan Ait-Nouri.
They are not yet in the relegation zone, but a defeat here and the continuation of some amateurish defending in their recent matches will leave them very susceptible, with the three sides below them all within reach.
Next week's fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion is expected to be the make or break for Lampard given that there has been an acceptance they will probably lose at the Etihad in this one.
However, if they do lose here, they must make sure the scoreline does not get ugly and play with the desire of a side that looks prepared for a relegation battle, which Lampard admitted they are now in following the defeat to Wolves.
Team News
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Julian Alvarez is unlikely to be thrown into the Man City squad as he gradually returns to club action following World Cup success with Argentina.
Ruben Dias will miss out with a thigh injury, but City still have plenty of options available at centre-back, with Manuel Akanji and John Stones the preferred duo on Wednesday.
Foden may come in along with Cancelo as both were rested against Leeds, as Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis are the two likely to make way.
Yerry Mina went off injured again for Everton on Boxing Day, a sight that has become all too familiar for him while at the club.
He has gone off early in his last three Premier League starts, but they will have Conor Coady back to replace him after he was ineligible to face parent club Wolves.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains a doubt after the forward could not recover from a continuous thigh issue in time to play any part in the Boxing Day defeat.
Andros Townsend has suffered a setback in his return from an ACL tear, while James Garner will miss the next month with a back injury.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva; Mahrez, Haaland, Foden
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Patterson, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Onana, Gueye, Iwobi; Gordon, Maupay, Gray
We say: Manchester City 3-0 Everton
If Man City are in the mood, nothing can stop them, and they should have no problem creating chances against the side who have conceded the most shots in the league.
Once Everton go behind, they very rarely recover, so an early City goal could lead to a long afternoon for the Toffees in Manchester.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
