Good afternoon! The Premier League is back after the international break, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad to see it return! A jam-packed Saturday of action includes this match between league leaders Manchester City and Everton, both of whom enjoyed good starts to the season but stuttered a little before the break. The two managers know each other very well too, so it should be a fascinating contest today. Let's start with a look at the teams...

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Bravo; Otamendi, Stones, Clichy; Gundogan, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva; Sane, Iheanacho, Sterling

MAN CITY SUBS: Caballero, Kompany, Zabaleta, Nolito, Kolarov, Fernando, Aguero

EVERTON STARTING XI: Stekelenburg; Coleman, Jagielka, Williams, Oviedo; Barry, Gana, Cleverley, Deulofeu, Bolasie; Lukaku

EVERTON SUBS: Robles, Barkley, Mirallas, McCarthy, Valencia, Funes Mori, Holgate

The teams are in, then, and it is certainly an interesting selection from Pep Guardiola today. The most notable decision from the Spaniard is to start Sergio Aguero on the bench today following his international excursions with Argentina, with Kelechi Iheanacho leading the line instead. The Nigerian has a brilliant record in his fledgling career so far, but there is no doubt that the Everton defenders will be glad to see no Aguero. The Argentine has scored 28 goals in his last 28 league games and in all competitions has scored 11 times in eight matches this season.

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Aguero's absence is one of five changes made by Guardiola from the team that was beaten by Tottenham Hotspur before the international break, and the most positive of those sees Kevin de Bruyne return to the starting XI earlier than expected. The Belgian was initially a major doubt for this game, and the upcoming Champions League clash against Barcelona due to a hamstring injury, but he has recovered in time to feature here and will hope to be involved at the Camp Nou next week too. His return is a major boost for today's hosts.

Raheem Sterling, who has been revitalised under Guardiola so far, was also a doubt for the game having missed England's World Cup qualifiers with a calf injury, but he too has recovered in time to start today. The former Liverpool man is expected to be on one wing while Leroy Sane operates on the other for his first Premier League start. The team selection suggests that those two will play either side of Iheanacho in a 3-4-4 formation, but we have learned not to second guess Guardiola's tactics so don't be surprised to see something different.

Gundogan and Clichy also come into the team for this match, with Kolarov and Fernando dropping out to leave City starting with only three recognised defenders. One of those it, of course, John Stones, who made the move between these two clubs for a whopping £47.5m fee during the summer. The England international made 77 Premier League appearances for Everton between 2013-16 but has seemingly moved onto another level since his switch to the Etihad. Guardiola even compared him to Everton boss Ronald Koeman in the build-up to this game - high praise indeed.

Unlike Man City, Everton have included their star striker in their starting lineup this afternoon, with Romelu Lukaku having overcome a thigh problem he picked up while on international duty with Belgium. The big striker was in fine goalscoring form before the break and comes into this match having scored five goals in his last four Premier League appearances - not a bad way to end an 11-game drought prior to that.

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Indeed, there is just the one change to the Everton starting lineup from the team that drew with Crystal Palace last time out as Ross Barkley drops to the bench. In his place comes Gerard Deulofeu, who once worked under Guardiola during their time at Barcelona. He will be eager to show exactly how far he has come on and, with the likes of Barkley, Bolasie and Mirallas also pushing for those forward roles, a good performance could earn him a more regular place in the team.

Bolasie is once again chosen on the opposite flank, while Cleverley is expected to play in an advanced role just in front of Barry and Gueye. Barry faces one of his former clubs today, while Gueye will be looking to continue what has been an impressive start to life at Everton. He has a key role today in try to limit the influence of De Bruyne, Silva and others, so Everton will need him to be on top of his game.

There are no changes at the back for Everton, which means that Phil Jagielka captains the side having recovered from a thigh injury that forced him to pull out of the England squad. He once again lines up alongside Ashley Williams at the heart of the visitors' defence, while Coleman and Oviedo make up the back four. Baines is nearing a return from a hamstring injury but is not yet ready to feature.

That is the team that stands in front of Manchester City and a return to winning ways today, then, and there is no doubt that the hosts come into this match as heavy favourites to win, despite Everton's promising start to the season. The international break probably came at a perfect time for City, who had just begun to stutter a little after a perfect start to Guardiola's reign. They made things look easy with 10 wins from their opening 10 games in all competitions, but a draw against Celtic - in which they needed to come from behind three times - was then followed by their first defeat of the season.

City had look pretty comfortable in the vast majority of their matches under Guardiola until their visit to White Hart Lane before the international break - a match which pitted the two remaining unbeaten teams against each other. However, Tottenham's high-tempo pressing game exposed a few weaknesses in City that others will surely try to exploit. A Kolarov own goal and Dele Alli strike saw Spurs clinch a 2-0 victory to end City's 11-match unbeaten start, and the challenge for them now is to find an answer for when teams play against them in a similar way.

Guardiola will certainly not be panicking, though, and defeat at White Hart Lane against the current crop of Tottenham players is nothing to be ashamed of. They have made their best ever start to the top-flight season and remain one point clear at the top of the table, and the Spurs match aside they have also been free scoring. No team has scored more in the Premier League this season, with that defeat to Tottenham being the first time that they had failed to find the back of the net under Guardiola.

Indeed, going into the Tottenham match City had averaged three goals a game under Guardiola, but one concern for the Spaniard will be their record at the other end of the pitch. They have averaged one goal conceded a game in the Premier League so far this season - which is not a terrible record, particularly with the number of goals they have been scoring at the other end, but it is still not as good as Guardiola will be hoping for. They also conceded five goals in their last two matches before the international break having let in only six in the 10 games prior to that.

The pressure may begin to rise if City fall to another defeat this afternoon, but that rarely happens to either the club or their manager. City have not lost back-to-back Premier League matches since March, when they were beaten by Leicester, Tottenham and Liverpool in succession. They have been beaten just twice in the league since then, winning 10 and drawing three. You have to go back to May 2015 for the last time a team managed by Guardiola lost consecutive league matches, with Bayern Munich being beaten three times on the bounce.

Guardiola does also still boast a perfect home record in charge of City, winning all five of his outings at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions. They have scored 14 goals in that time, conceding just twice, including back-to-back 4-0 victories in their last two matches here. They are one of only two teams, alongside Liverpool to have a 100% record at home in the Premier League even at this early stage of the season, while no team has scored more in front of their own fans. Their unbeaten home record stretches back 10 games to March, when they lost to local rivals Manchester United.

The big question over Guardiola's arrival was how he would adapt to the Premier League and the English style of football, but even accounting for the blip against Tottenham, it's fair to say that he has hit the ground running. Even looking beyond the results and starting with 10 straight wins, it is clear to see that he has had a big impact on the team already. For example, City as a team have run more than seven kilometres more on average in Premier League this season than they did under Manuel Pellegrini last term.

When a team packed with so much talent also puts in hard work like that, they become a formidable outfit, and that is what Everton will need to deal with this afternoon. The Toffees also welcomed a new manager to the club during the summer, and for the early weeks of the season they were the team who were running Man City closest. Just as Guardiola did at the Etihad, Ronald Koeman got off to a flying start with Everton, going unbeaten in his first six matches, including five victories.

Since then, though, their form has taken a turn for the worse with an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Norwich City being followed by league defeat to Bournemouth and a draw with Crystal Palace last time out. That mini slump has seen the Toffees drop out of the top four, although with Liverpool not in action until Monday night, when they host Manchester United, a victory would be enough for Everton to leapfrog their Merseyside rivals into the Champions League places.

Even with that three-match winless streak, it has been a very encouraging start to life under Ronald Koeman. Only once in the Premier League era have Everton made a better start to a season than their current tally of 14 points from seven games, with that coming in the 2004-05 campaign. On that occasion they had 16 points at this stage of the season, and they went on to record their best ever Premier League finish of fourth place. Victory today, meanwhile, would mean that they have made their best start to a league season since 1978.

Much like it was at Southampton, Koeman's success so far has been built on a sturdy Everton defence, with Jagielka and Williams quickly forming an impressive partnership. Only Tottenham have conceded fewer goals than Everton in the Premier League so far this season, with Spurs and the Toffees also the only two teams yet to concede more than one goal in a game. At the other end there is room for improvement, though, with no team in the top eight having scored fewer than Everton's 11 - already seven fewer than Man City and Liverpool.

Everton can also point to a never-say-die attitude as a factor behind their good start to the campaign, with the Toffees having rescued six points from losing positions already this season - a joint league high alongside neighbours Liverpool. Of course, Koeman would much prefer it if his side didn't have to come from behind in matches, and they won't be able to rescue themselves every time if they do, but they at least know that conceding the first goal in a game is a surmountable setback.

It should, however, be noted that Everton have enjoyed a relatively kind start to their Premier League season. An opening-day match against Tottenham was far from an easy assignment, but since then the fixture list has done well for the Toffees. They have faced West Brom, Stoke, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace in their last six games - all of which they would have gone into thinking that they could win. That, of course, means that a difficult spell is to come, and December looks like being a tricky month for the Toffees, with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Leicester all to face.

There will be few games tougher this season than Man City away, though, so Koeman's full focus will be on today's match first and foremost. The Toffees won their first two league away games of the campaign but were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth on their most visit journey. Indeed, those back-to-back wins on the road at the start of this campaign are Everton's only two away league victories in their last nine outings - a run that also includes five defeats.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes from kickoff at the Etihad, which means that it is time for a prediction! Everton will not be an easy touch for any team this season, and even though they are winless in three matches they are capable of making things difficult for Man City today. However, with home advantage on their side City are undoubtedly the favourites for this one, and I'm backing them to pick up a 2-1 victory.

City have had plenty of joy against Everton in recent years, with the Toffees not beating the Citizens in the league since March 2013, when Leon Osman and Nikica Jelavic scored in a 2-0 win at Goodison Park. City have won four and drawn two meetings since then, conceding four goals in the process, and should they avoid defeat again today then it would equal their longest ever league unbeaten run against Everton of seven games, last set in 1982.

Everton winless run at the Etihad stretches back to 2010 when Tim Cahill and Leighton Baines were on the scoresheet in a 2-1 victory that also saw Jagielka score an own goal at the other end and both teams reduced to 10 men. The Etihad was actually a happy hunting ground for Everton in that period, with the 2010 win being their fourth in a row on City soil, but since then they are winless in five league visits. Home and away they have scored just once in their last four league games against City, with that goal coming through Steven Naismith in a 1-1 draw in January 2015.

There has been an air of nostalgia during the build-up to this match as Pep Guardiola and Ronald Koeman - former teammates together at Barcelona - face off in a managerial battle for the first time. Koeman acted as a mentor to Guardiola when the pair played under the late great Johan Cruyff, with Guardiola revealing this week that he used to be Koeman's waterboy. In all, they spent five years together as part of the 'Dream Team', winning four league titles and the European Cup in 1992.

Right, we're just about ready to go here! The players are out and both sides will be bidding to return to winning ways here today.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Manchester City get us underway at the Etihad.

City have made a bright start to this match, immediately getting on the front foot. Williams has already been forced into a couple of early clearances and it is City who are dominating the ball early on.

Lovely play from Sane down the right as he skips past Oviedo far too easily to get in behind the defence. The angle is against him, though, and his attempted cross it shovelled behind by Stekelenburg.

Everton have their first bright attacking moment as a ball over to the right gets Bolasie in behind. He tries to cut a cross back into the middle, but it is cut out by the defence.

UPDATES: There have been a couple of early goals elsewhere in the Premier League, with Charlie Daniels giving Bournemouth the lead against Hull and Joe Allen breaking the deadlock for Stoke against Sunderland.

Meanwhile, Everton have a free kick in a very similar position to where Lukaku scored from against Palace last time out...

...but this time he curls his effort high and wide. That was never troubling Bravo in the City goal.

City want a penalty as Sane once again skips past Oviedo on the right side of the area before going down. The referee is having none of it, though, and Sane is lucky to avoid a yellow card for diving there.

Everton haven't really got into this game yet. They have made a couple of quick breaks forward, which may be what they have to wait for here, but for the most part it has been all Man City. Sane in particular looks dangerous up against Oviedo.

SHOT! Oviedo has to switch his intention to De Bruyne this time, though, tracking the Belgian on the edge of the box and getting an important block in to deflect his effort over the crossbar.

City attack down the left flank this time as Sterling looks to beat Coleman. The full-back does well to hold Sterling off, but does so at the expense of another City corner.

Everton just about survive the corner, with Coleman being forced to make another important interception to cut out a low Silva cross, but moments later Barry fouls Sterling right on the edge of the box. Free kick in a dangerous position...

De Bruyne goes for it, but his effort hits the wall and from the rebound the Belgian looks for Sane, who is prevented from reaching the ball at the back post by Oviedo.

It has been relentless pressure from Man City in this opening 20 minutes, enjoying 72% of the ball. However, they are just a fraction away with every attack, and Stekelenburg is yet to be really tested.

SAVE! The Everton keeper is called into action this time as Sterling fires a deflected low strike in from range, but it is a relatively simple one for the shot-stopper.

More lovely football from City as they continue to probe for a way through before Cleverley concedes a free kick on the left side of the area. Silva floats it in, but it comes to nothing as Everton eventually hack it clear.

Everton have not had the ball inside the Man City half for some time now. They are being forced to drop deeper and deeper, and when they do eventually get the ball they need to boot it clear. The visitors cannot get out right now.

A moment to forget for De Bruyne as he slices an attempted volleyed cross horribly out of play. Finally Everton have a chance to relieve the pressure, but it isn't long before the ball comes right back at them.

SHOT! More decent build-up from Man City as they win the ball back inside the Everton half, with De Bruyne quickly feeding it to Silva. The Spaniard lets fly from just outside the area, but the powerful strike goes over the crossbar.

UPDATE: Arsenal have taken the lead against Swansea at the Emirates, and it is Theo Walcott who has continued his recent good form at club level with the opener.

The one risk about this Man City side is that they could be vulnerable to Everton's pace on the break, and the visitors have their first chance to strike here. However, the final ball is just cut out by Stones.

SHOT! Another sight of goal for City as De Bruyne picks up the ball inside the area but proceeds to drag his effort wide of the target.

Sterling requires treatment here having been on the end of a very heavy challenge from Coleman. The full-back caught the winger right on the ankle, and it looks like a very painful one. Surprisingly, though, no action is taken by Michael Oliver.

Sterling will be able to continue here, but that really was a poor challenge. It looked mistimed rather than malicious, but Coleman is fortunate to avoid a card for that one.

UPDATE: Arsenal have a second, and once again it is Theo Walcott who gets it. They are in control against Swansea now with a 2-0 lead. Hull, meanwhile, have levelled things up against Bournemouth through Ryan Mason.

Still City continue to dominate this match, but Everton are doing a very good job of protecting their penalty area. For all of their possession and territory, the hosts are yet to create a really good chance today.

A little better from Everton as they finally begin to see a bit of the ball inside the Man City half. Otamendi is forced into some defending to clear a Bolasie ball before eventually completing the clearance.

Bolasie will be disappointed with his two crosses there. Chances for Everton to get the ball in the box have been very few and far between so he needs the quality of his delivery to be better when they do get the opportunity to do so.

UPDATE: Bob Bradley's Swansea City are not done just yet! Gylfi Sigurdsson scores the first goal of the American's reign to halve the deficit against Arsenal at the Emirates.

Huge let off for Everton as Man City miss from the penalty spot! It was Jagielka who gave away the penalty, hanging a careless leg out after an unfortunate bounce had seen the ball drop into the path of Silva, and the Spaniard was tripped by the Everton skipper. There were no complaints, but De Bruyne sees his spot kick pushed away by Stekelenburg. I think I speak for all fantasy football managers when I say you should have started Aguero, Pep.

UPDATE: Bournemouth have scored twice in four minutes to take control against Hull, with Steve Cook's effort being followed by a Junior Stanislas penalty right on the stroke of half time.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

Michael Oliver brings the first half to an end at the Etihad Stadium, then, and we are still goalless between Manchester City and Everton. City have utterly dominated the match so far, controlling possession and territory. However, they have found chances few and far between, with Everton so far doing a very good job of protecting Maarten Stekelenburg.

The standout moment of that opening 45 minutes came towards the end of the half when Phil Jagielka left a leg out that David Silva went over inside the penalty area, leaving Oliver no choice but to point to the spot. However, City's hopes of finally breaking the deadlock were thwarted by Stekelenburg, who denied De Bruyne from 12 yards. The penalty was at a good height for the keeper, but it was still a good stop.

City need to come up with an answer in the second 45 minutes as Plan A doesn't quite seem to be working at the moment. Of course, Everton will tire in the second half as they have been forced to chase the ball for the vast majority of the match so far, but Guardiola will want to see more of a cutting edge from the home side in the coming 45 minutes.

KICKOFF: Everton get us back underway for the second half as they look to hold out for what would be a very respectable point at the Etihad.

Coleman is usually such a threat going forward, but we have just seen him get on the front foot for the very first time today. That is a credit to Guardiola's formation and how it has penned the Everton full-backs deep into their own half.

SAVE! Bravo is called into action for the first time today as Everton hit the hosts on the break. The ball is played out to Deulofeu on the left side and he ducks inside before going for goal from the edge of the area. However, his shot is fairly central and Bravo is able to tip it over the crossbar.

City respond with an attack of their own as Silva spins into space before looking to exchange passes with Iheanacho on the edge of the box. The return pass is misplaced, though, and Everton are able to hack it away.

CHANCE! That's more like it from City! They again work the ball well in the final third before Gundogan sends it out wide to Sane. The winger, on the left now, feeds it into the middle with a dangerous low pass that Iheanacho flicks goalwards, but Stekelenburg makes a good save from close range.

Brilliant play from Gueye as he nips in and steals the ball from Iheanacho on the edge of his own box before immediately launching a counter-attack. Bolasie leads the charge, but he tries to disguise a through-ball for Lukaku which ends up running through to Bravo.

City's pressure is beginning to build once again here! Sterling does well to move the ball past Oviedo and get a cross in, but it is deflected behind for another corner to the hosts.

MAN CITY SUB: Guardiola has seen enough now and it is time for the main man. Sergio Aguero comes on in place of Iheanacho.

EVERTON SUB: Everton also make a change, with Deulofeu trudging off to be replaced by James McCarthy.

The crowd appeal for a penalty after Otamendi was blocked off by Jagielka inside the area, but in fairness the players weren't appealing at all.

I'm sure it's been a tiring and tough hour for Everton, but it will have been a satisfactory one for them too. They remain goalless against City despite giving up the vast majority of the possession, and there is also slightly more threat to their attacking play than there was in the first half.

Electric pace from Sterling as he bursts past Oviedo and into the box, but Jagielka covers well and his block comes back off Sterling and out for a goal kick.

Magnificent defending from Jagielka! Sterling whips a very dangerous low cross into the box, but Jagielka slides in to clear just in time!

Incredible! Having had their backs to the wall for more than an hour, Everton take the lead at the Etihad! It, predictably, comes on the counter as Lukaku is released by a clever flick that sees him up against only Clichy. He carries the ball forward well before bursting into the box and tucking a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

To say that that goal came against the run of play would be a huge understatement, but that was exactly Everton's gameplan. They have carried it off to perfection so far, limiting City's clear chances and nicking a goal on the break.

This is a big test for Guardiola now. He has just over 20 minutes remaining to find a breakthrough, but is there a plan B in this Man City side? The title favourites are staring down the barrel of back-to-back defeats here.

6 - Romelu Lukaku has scored 6 goals in his last 5 PL apps, after a run of 11 consecutive games in the competition without one. Form. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 15, 2016

Wow, this is quite incredible! Man City win another penalty, and again it is Jagielka who is at fault as he hacks down Aguero. This time the Argentine takes the spot-kick duties on himself, but Stekelenburg makes an almost identical save to deny the hosts once again!

MAN CITY SUB: Guardiola makes a change after that penalty, with Nolito replacing Sane.

SAVE! Stekelenburg is single-handedly keeping City at bay here! Aguero looks to pick out the top corner this time, but the Everton keeper claws it away with a remarkable stop!

What an impact from Nolito! Man City level things up through the Spaniard, who has barely been on the field for a minute, after seeing two penalties missed. Silva whips a devilish ball into the box and Nolito is up well to nod it into the bottom corner.

There is the breakthrough that City were finding so hard to come by, and Guardiola's side now have just over 15 minutes remaining to try to find a winner. This one is shaping up very nicely indeed!

Everton can expect to come under some serious pressure in the closing stages of this match, but that won't be anything new to them. They have been on the back foot pretty much from the first whistle here, and if they can hold on for a draw then they will be delighted with that.

Everton do still carry a threat on the counter, though, with Bolasie and Lukaku's pace able to cause problems. The match is getting fairly open now, which would suit City more than Everton.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match is shown to Coleman for time-wasting.

OFF THE POST! Stekelenburg is having a blinder here, and he makes another phenomenal stop to deny De Bruyne this time. Silva had poked the ball into the Belgian's path, and De Bruyne unleashed an early effort that looked destined for the top corner. However, the Everton keeper is at full stretched to get a hand on it and tip it against the post. Incredible save.

EVERTON SUB: The visitors make another change here as Bolasie departs to be replaced by Kevin Mirallas.

YELLOW CARD! Williams also goes into the book for a foul on De Bruyne.

Just three minutes remain in this match, and although they have been on the back foot for the vast majority of the game, Everton will feel that they are worthy of a point here. They have defended very well in fairness, but they have also needed Stekelenburg on top form.

MAN CITY SUB: Another change for Man City, and it is a significant one as Vincent Kompany returns to replace Gundogan.

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.

EVERTON SUB: Meanwhile, Everton make their third and final change as Ramiro Funes Mori replaces Cleverley.

The referee brings an end to proceedings at the Etihad Stadium, then, and it is honours even between Manchester City and Everton. The hosts controlled possession and territory throughout, but a mixture of stubborn defender and spectacular goalkeeping kept them at bay. City did have the chances to win this game, though - most notably two penalties that were saved by Stekelenburg. Lukaku gave Everton a lead completely against the run of play, but Nolito scored with his first touch to rescue a point for the league leaders.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Man City and Everton as the hosts miss two penalties on their way to being held to a 1-1 draw. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!