Everton visit the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in the 12th round of the English Premier League. Manchester City are just three points behind the league leaders Chelsea and will look to carry their momentum of Derby victory into this game. The visitors have lost their early season momentum and have struggled to earn points.
Manchester City won the first Manchester derby of the 2021-22 English Premier League season, with a convincing 2-0 victory over their neighbors Manchester United. An own goal from Eric Bailly and Bernardo Silva’s goal towards the end of the first half helped them earn all three points.
Manchester City players attempted 13 shots and the expected goal rate was 1.35. A total of five shots were on target, with one hitting the opposition’s goal post. City players created 34 positional attacks and made 42 recoveries in the opposition’s half. Pep’s men dominated the possession in the match and attempted 23 passes into the opposition’s penalty box.
Manchester City have an expected goal rate of 22.81, and they have scored 22 goals this season. Their defense has the second-best record this season, conceding just six goals. The expected goals against rate is the lowest in the league for Pep’s men. City have created the most number of positional attacks in the Premier League, attempting 180 shots. 63 shots have been on target, with 52 being attempted from inside the opposition’s penalty box.
Bernardo Silva’s strike in the last match made him the joint-top goalscorer for Manchester City this season. Joao Cancelo created a lot of trouble for the Manchester United defense. Kevin De Bruyne will miss this match following a positive COVID-19 result. Jack Grealish will also be sidelined, while Phil Foden remains a doubt for this match.
Everton ended their dreadful run of three losses, and they were held to a goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the previous round. The Toffees created 32 positional attacks and attempted 11 shots towards the opposition target.
The above chart shows the threat creation zones for Everton in the previous match. They attack a lot from the wider sides, and full-backs have a huge involvement in the game. Seamus Coleman attempted 16 passes into the opposition’s final third, and his opposite side, full-back Lucas Digne, attempted ten. The two central midfielders, Delph and Allan, created the highest threat rate with their passes.
The Toffees have scored 16 goals and conceded the same number of goals. The expected rate is 15.95, and the team has attempted 131 shots so far this season. The shot accuracy rate is 32.8%, as 43 shots have been on target for Rafa’s men.
Yerry Mina, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Andre Gomes, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Tom Davies will miss this match due to their respective injuries. Mason Holgate is serving a three-match suspension.
Everton have just earned two points in the last five games. They will have a huge task in hand when they take on a very attacking Manchester City side. City carries the momentum into this match after a dominating display in the Manchester Derby. Pep will expect his players to earn three points against the Merseyside team.
