Preview: Everton vs Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Following a near two-week hiatus from Premier League football, Manchester City resume their quest for title glory on Monday night, when they visit Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time.

The Sky Blues edged out Southampton 2-1 to reach the FA Cup final last weekend, while the Toffees suffered a heart-breaking late 2-1 loss to West Ham United.

Match preview

As the Arsenal quadruple dreams were dashed, the Man City treble fantasy is looking increasingly likely to become a reality.

The EFL Cup has already been safely stored away into the trophy cabinet, Pep Guardiola's men will be favourites to overcome managerless Chelsea in the FA Cup final, and the Citizens remain in complete control of their Premier League title destiny.

Even if Man City enter Monday's game six points adrift of Arsenal in the Premier League table, the current runners-up - who would have two games in hand - can fall back on their quintessentially stellar springtime sequence, which has seen them win six games in a row in all tournaments and concede just two goals in the process.

Guardiola's men were made to work for their 1-0 league triumph over Burnley and 2-1 FA Cup semi-final success over Southampton, but crawling over the line is preferable to not getting over the line at all for Monday's visitors, who are now unbeaten in each of their last 11 Premier League matches.

Since January's surprise 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, Man City have accrued 14 points from their last six Premier League away games; for comparison, they only earned 17 from their first 11 top-flight matches on the road this term.

Guardiola vs. David Moyes has also been a mismatch down the years, as the Man City manager has not lost any of his previous 15 Premier League head-to-heads with the Scotsman, overseeing 12 wins and three draws in that time.

Moyes's personal record against Guardiola makes for grim reading in itself, but the Everton boss must reunite with the Catalan coach at arguably the worst possible time, as his Toffees team have started to stutter once again.

After taking a respectable 10 points from five games between February 28 and April 11, the home side head into Monday's game following back-to-back 2-1 defeats, both sealed by gut-wrenching injury-time goals.

Virgil van Dijk's 100th-minute derby winner for Liverpool preceded Callum Wilson's 92nd-minute clincher for West Ham last weekend, leaving Everton in the bottom half of the table and further denting their European hopes.

The Toffees will at least remain within touching distance of the top six if they can stun City, as Brighton & Hove Albion start the weekend three points better off, and Moyes's men are yet to suffer three consecutive Premier League losses in the 2025-26 season.

However, the head-to-head statistics are an unpleasant sight for home supporters, as Everton are winless in a staggering 17 Premier League games against Man City, who also prevailed on each of their last eight visits to Goodison Park in the top flight.

Everton Premier League form:

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Team News

Guardiola revealed in his pre-match press conference that Rodri was "getting better" as he manages a groin problem, but the Spaniard had not trained before Friday and remains doubtful for the bank holiday battle.

Either way, Rodri's understudy Nico Gonzalez is in no position to be demoted after his 30-yard wonder strike to win the FA Cup semi-final - the longest-range goal by any Man City player this season.

Centre-backs Josko Gvardiol (calf) and Ruben Dias (thigh) are still missing, but Guardiola's squad is otherwise in good shape for the trip to Merseyside, where the likes of Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and the departing Bernardo Silva should be restored to the XI.

On Everton's end, Man City loanee Jack Grealish would not be able to play against his parent club on Monday night, but the winger has already been ruled out for the rest of the season following foot surgery.

Grealish is one of two long-term absentees for the home side alongside Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh), but Moyes will be boosted by the return of Beto, who has completed concussion protocol after taking a blow to the head in the Merseyside derby.

Beto could therefore immediately displace Thierno Barry at the tip of the attack, thanks to his rich vein of form before his blow - four goals and one assist in his past three appearances.

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; O'Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Beto

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O'Reilly; Silva, Gonzalez; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

We say: Everton 1-2 Manchester City

City do not need to be blowing teams to smithereens at this stage of the season, they simply need to find ways to win, and that is exactly what Guardiola's men are doing.

The visitors will now recall well-rested big-hitters against a patchy Everton side, and a seventh consecutive victory for the Sky Blues is the only outcome we can envisage.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.