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Man City vs Everton betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
- Michael Beardmore is +22.4pts in profit for the 2023-24 football season
Football betting tips: Premier League
1pt Idrissa Gueye to be shown a card at 13/5 (bet365)
0.5pts Idrissa Gueye to be first player carded at 10/1 (bet365)
Five straight Premier League wins. Nine successive victories in all competitions. We've been here before, haven't we?
Yep, the Manchester City second-half-of-the-season juggernaut is moving through the gears.
It seems only Arsenal or a Liverpool side desperate to give Jurgen Klopp a magical farewell can stop Pep Guardiola lifting a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.
And neither will expect much help on Saturday lunchtime from an Everton side winless in six league games, struggling for goals, points and beset by off-field issues of financial woe and appeals against points deductions.
What are the best bets?
The hosts will go top of the table with victory - albeit, most likely, only for a couple of hours with Liverpool hosting second-bottom Burnley at 3pm - and that eventuality looks nailed-on, with the bookies offering best odds of 2/9 on a home win.
Everton's recent record against City is rotten too, taking two points from the last 39 available. They actually boast the sixth best away record in the division this season but haven't scored in their past three trips in all competitions.
It should be a City win to nil - available at 21/20 - but the trouble is that this season, they are more often conceding when winning than keeping clean sheets. Of their 25 wins in all competitions, only 10 have been to nil (four of 15 in the league).
No, by far the best route in this one - especially considering changes could be afoot for the hosts, who have an eye on the Champions League - is to look at the visitors, specifically in the cards markets.
Referee John Brooks is in charge here - he dished out six bookings in the reverse fixture a few weeks back and has handed out a whopping 106 yellows and five reds in 24 matches this term, averaging around 4.6 cards per game.
No Premier League player with more than 1,000 minutes on the pitch to their name this season is averaging more cautions per 90 than Toffees midfielder IDRISSA GUEYE.
The 34-year-old, back from the Africa Cup of Nations after defending champions Senegal's disappointing last-16 exit to hosts Ivory Coast, has five yellows in his past eight Everton games and is a very inviting 13/5 TO BE SHOWN A CARD at the Etihad.
I also cannot resist a smaller play on him to be the FIRST PLAYER CARDED at 10/1 with bet365. Gueye has been booked six times in 15 games: he's been the first Everton player booked in four of those six and the first overall player booked in three.
BuildABet @60/1
- Gueye to be shown a card
- Garner to be shown a card
- De Bruyne to score or assist
- Player to be sent off
CLICK HERE to back with Sky Bet
Gueye's team-mate James Garner has four yellows to his name this season and is averaging a combative 2.7 tackles per game, while City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne has contributed to a goal in all three games since returning from injury.
Referee Brooks has brandished five red cards in 24 games this term and Everton are among the worst offenders in the league for fouls per game. City, with two sendings-off to their name this season, can be wound up on occasion.
Team news
With Manuel Akanji and John Stones both back fit, Pep Guardiola has a full squad to call upon - another ominous sign for their title rivals.
With the Champions League last-16 first leg in Copenhagen looming on Tuesday, he could make changes with Akanji, Stones, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes all options to switch things up.
Everton are sweating on the fitness of influential midfield pair Abdoulaye Doucoure (hamstring) and Amadou Onana (knee), who have each been missing for a few weeks. Both are unlikely to be risked.
Andre Gomes and Arnaut Danjuma are definitely out of action while Dele Alli is a long-term absentee.
Predicted line-ups
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Ake; Rodri, Nunes; Foden, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland.
Everton: Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Young, Gueye, Garner, McNeil; Harrison; Calvert-Lewin.
Match facts
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games against Everton (W11 D2), since a 4-0 loss at Goodison Park in January 2017.
- Since winning four consecutive away league games against Man City between 2008 and 2010, Everton are now winless in their last 12 visits to the Etihad Stadium (D5 L7).
- Man City have lost just one of their last 35 Premier League home games (W29 D5), and are unbeaten in 21 (W17 D4) since a 2-1 loss to Brentford in November 2022. Their last four home league defeats have been against London sides, with Leeds in April 2021 the last team from outside the capital to win away at the Etihad.
- Manchester City haven’t lost any of their last 23 Premier League games against sides in the relegation zone (W21 D2) since a 3-2 loss at Norwich in September 2019. Their last such defeat this far into a season was in March 2015, losing 1-0 at Sean Dyche’s Burnley.
- 50% of Everton’s Premier League goals this season have come from set piece situations, the highest of any side in the competition. Excluding penalties, only Arsenal (14) have scored more goals from set pieces than the Toffees this term (13).
- Phil Foden has been involved in eight goals in his last six Premier League appearances, scoring four and assisting four. He’s also scored four times against Everton in the competition, only netting more against Brighton (6) and Brentford (5).
- Kevin De Bruyne has been involved in 11 goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances (four goals, seven assists). His assist for Phil Foden against Brentford last time out was his 150th for the Citizens in all competitions.
Odds correct 1215 GMT (08/02/24)
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