Manchester City will be looking for an elusive victory when they host Everton on Boxing Day.
Manchester City vs Everton best bets
Manchester City -1.5 Asian handicap - 10/11 with SBK
Manchester City to keep a clean sheet - 11/10 with bet365
Kevin De Bruyne to score or assist - 5/6 with BetMGM
Manchester City vs Everton odds
Find the latest match odds for Manchester City vs Everton. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
Manchester City vs Everton predictions
How much further can Manchester City fall?
After a 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa on Saturday, Pep Guardiola’s side are down to seventh in the Premier League, a position they have not occupied since August 2021.
Talk of the title has now subsided. City’s chances of winning a seventh crown in eight years is virtually nil. Instead, many of the club’s supporters are now concerned that the champions will miss out on a top-four finish.
To be clear, City are still the favourites to qualify for the Champions League alongside Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. They might be seventh in the standings at Christmas, but they are now only four points adrift of Nottingham Forest in fourth.
Yet it is worth pointing out that, in terms of points, City are as close to 12th as they are to fourth. Despite having lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions, Guardiola’s team might not have hit rock-bottom yet.
The complete collapse is truly extraordinary. The absence of Rodri is clearly a major factor, but City collected 10 points from the next 12 available following the Arsenal game in which the Spain international suffered his season-ending injury.
And while many predicted a slight drop-off without the Ballon d’Or winner in the centre of the park, no one saw this coming. Certainly not Guardiola, who looks as mystified as anyone by City’s predicament.
Since the beginning of November, City have the worst record in the entire division. In the eight rounds of fixtures since then, they have collected four points - one fewer than Southampton, who are cut adrift at the bottom of the table.
Guardiola looks out of ideas and the entire City system appears to have collapsed, but it is a matter of when rather than if they get back on track.
The upcoming fixture list looks reasonably kind: as well as this home clash with Everton, City are due to face Leicester City, West Ham United, Brentford and Ipswich Town. They are not currently in a position to take anything for granted, but that is hardly a nightmarish set of opponents.
Yet that very fact only heightens the pressure on the Premier League champions. Lose at home to Everton on Boxing Day and all bets are off.
Manchester City vs Everton betting tips. 18+ GambleAware.org - Please play responsibly.
1
Manchester City vs Everton betting tips. 18+ GambleAware.org - Please play responsibly.
Manchester City vs Everton betting tips
Can Manchester City get back to winning ways when Everton visit the Etihad Stadium?
Manchester City -1.5 Asian handicap
Everton have shown plenty of grit over the last couple of weekends, drawing 0-0 with both Arsenal and Chelsea. Those two points could prove vital in the relegation battle come the end of the season.
Sean Dyche knows how to set up a defence and Everton will make themselves difficult to play through here.
They will struggle to offer much of a threat going the other way, however, and Manchester City could easily have close to 80 percent possession. With that much of the ball and this much talent in the ranks, Guardiola’s side would surely emerge victorious in that scenario.
Free Bet Offers
Get the best free bet offers all season
The City boss will hope that if his team can open the scoring, they will be able to relax and start playing their usual stuff.
Everton are certainly tough to break down, but a victory by a two-goal margin is within reach even for this lacklustre City side.
⚽ Tip Manchester City with a -1.5 Asian handicap at 10/11 with SBK ⚽
Manchester City to keep a clean sheet
Everton successfully shut out both Arsenal and Chelsea, which is no mean feat given those two teams have some of the best attacking players in the Premier League.
Yet in order to stifle the biggest opponents in the division, Everton have to virtually give up on the attacking side of the game.
They will use a similarly conservative strategy on Thursday, but that might be just what Manchester City need.
Guardiola’s men have looked very uncertain at the back of late, yet Everton are among the lowest scorers in the division.
⚽ Back Manchester City to keep a clean sheet at 11/10 with bet365 ⚽
Kevin De Bruyne to score or assist
Kevin De Bruyne sat out Saturday’s loss to Aston Villa as Guardiola continues to carefully manage the Belgium international, who has been nursing a niggling injury.
De Bruyne should be brought back into the XI for the visit of Everton and his drive could be crucial to getting Manchester City over the line.
The 33-year-old is probably past his best these days, but he is the City player most adept at grabbing a game by the scruff of its neck.
Do not be surprised if De Bruyne proves influential on Boxing Day as City bid to end this woeful run of form.
⚽ Select Kevin De Buryne to score or assist at 5/6 with BetMGM ⚽
📺 How to watch Manchester City vs Everton
Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England.
Date and time: Thursday 26th December, 12.30pm.
How to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X:@GregLeaFootball
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
Never chase their losses
Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.