Manchester City could climb to the top of the Premier League table if they beat Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Citizens and the Toffees meet for the first time since the middle of April when the former left it late to beat the latter 2-0 at Goodison Park, courtesy of goals from Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic.
Match preview
Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates on October 5, 2025
Since suffering back-to-back Premier League defeats to Tottenham and Brighton at the end of August, Man City have put together a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W5 D2) and they entered October’s international break in high spirits after winning 1-0 at Brentford a fortnight ago.
Erling Haaland has unsurprisingly been the talk of the town for the Citizens; the Norwegian has scored a remarkable 21 goals in just 12 appearances for club and country so far this season, with September’s Premier League Player of the Month netting nine of those across just seven top-flight outings to make him the early pace-setter in the Golden Boot race.
Manager Pep Guardiola, who celebrated his 250th Premier League victory in record-breaking time against Brentford, believes that his Man City side are getting “better and better”, and although the Citizens may not be operating at peak performance just yet, their stats from 2025 back up his belief that they are making positive steps in the right direction.
Indeed, Man City are averaging more points-per-game in the Premier League than any other team this calendar year (2.04 - 53 points in 26 games), while they are also the division’s top scorers (55 goals) and have picked up the joint-most wins along with champions Liverpool (16).
The Citizens will fancy their chances of success on Saturday, as they are unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League meetings with Everton (W13 D3) since losing 4-0 at Goodison Park in January 2017. This undefeated run represents their fourth longest against a single opponent in the division after Fulham (20), West Brom and West Ham (both 19).
Everton's Jack Grealish celebrates on October 5, 2025
Everton had a Man City player to thank in their last Premier League fixture prior to the international break, as on-loan attacker Jack Grealish scored his first goal for the Toffees in second-half stoppage time to seal a 2-1 comeback victory over high-flying Crystal Palace.
David Moyes was critical of his team’s “poor” first-half showing, but Everton came from behind after the break courtesy of Iliman Ndiaye’s equaliser from the penalty spot and Grealish’s dramatic winner to preserve their unbeaten start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, ending Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run in the process.
Including results from last season, Everton have won six of their last 10 Premier League games (D2 L2), as many as they managed in their previous 27 in the division (D13 L8). Having previously endured frustrating spells in an around the relegation zone in recent seasons, the Toffees are now looking towards the top end of the table, as they currently sit in eighth spot and only two points behind Man City in fifth.
Everton head into Saturday’s contest having won four of their last seven away league matches (L3) after coming out on top in just three of their previous 26 (D10 L13) prior to this run. However, the Toffees are winless in their last 14 top-flight visits to Man City (D6 L8) since a 2-1 victory in December 2010 during Moyes’s first spell in charge.
Under Moyes, Everton have remarkably never won a Premier League away game against a team that finished the previous campaign in the division’s top three, losing 24 and drawing 12 out of 36 matches. In fact, the Scotsman has only prevailed in one of his 58 such fixtures as a manager in the division, beating Arsenal 2-0 during his spell in charge of West Ham in December 2023.
Manchester City Premier League form:
L L W D W W
Manchester City form (all competitions):
W D W W D W
Everton Premier League form:
L W D L D W
Everton form (all competitions):
W D L L D W
Team News
Jeremy Doku of Manchester City on September 27, 2025
Man City will hope to have Omar Marmoush (knee), Rayan Ait-Nouri (ankle) and Abdukodir Khusanov (calf) back in the matchday squad after spells out through injury, but Rodri is a major doubt with a hamstring problem sustained in the win at Brentford a fortnight ago.
Rayan Cherki was an unused substitute against Brentford after missing the previous seven games with a thigh injury. The Frenchman should be in contention to play against Everton, but Guardiola will likely start with Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders in attacking midfield roles.
In-form Jeremy Doku will hope to earn a recall on the left flank, while few will be surprised to see goal machine Erling Haaland lead the line as he attempts to score his 10th Premier League goal of the season.
As for Everton, Man City loanee Grealish is ineligible to face his parent club, while Michael Keane (rib), Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) and Merlin Rohl (groin) will all be assessed ahead of kickoff.
However, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is available to return after serving a one-match suspension and he is expected to slot into an attacking midfield role behind either Beto or Thierno Barry up front, with Ndiaye set to move over to the left flank in the absence of Grealish.
Jake O’Brien will likely play alongside James Tarkowski at centre-back if Keane is not fit to feature, with either Seamus Coleman or Nathan Patterson starting at right-back.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Bernardo, Foden, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; O’Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Dibling, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Beto
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We say: Manchester City 2-0 Everton
Facing Man City at the Etihad was never going to be easy for Everton, but the absence of their chief creator Grealish has made an unlikely upset even more improbable.
Guardiola’s resurgent Citizens boast a strong unbeaten record against the Toffees and have also won seven of their last eight Premier League home matches, so it is difficult to back against the hosts claiming a routine victory this weekend, especially with Haaland in red-hot form.
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