Turkey. stuffing, Santa and Premier League Boxing Day football are the four old reliables at Christmas and this year’s December 26th schedule kicks off with a cracker at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola has added a win to his list sent off to the big man in the North Pole, but Sean Dyche is in no mood for festive freebies.
Ahead of the early kickoff in this one, our Shane O’Brien is on Christmas duty, and here are his Man City v Everton betting tips.
One of Shane’s picks is covered by Paddy’s Super Sub offer, too, meaning if the player is substituted, the picks carry over to his replacement.
Man City v Everton Bet Builder Tips
Both teams to score, no
Erling Haaland to have 5+ shots
Everton goalkeeper to make 5+ saves
Everton to commit 11+ fouls
Manuel Akanji to attempt 90+ passes
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 23/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
WHEN: Thursday, 26th of December, 12:30pm
WHERE: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
TV: Amazon Prime (UK) / Premier Sports 1 (Ireland)
Both teams to score, no
Everton have emerged as the Premier League’s draw specialists in recent weeks, drawing four of their last six league outings to bring their season tally to seven – a joint-high in the Premier League.
Sean Dyche’s side recorded back-to-back goalless draws against Arsenal and Chelsea, and it has now been seven games since they were last involved in a game where both teams found the back of the net. Everton were on both ends of 4-0 results, losing against Manchester United and beating Wolves in the space of six days, while they also recorded successive goalless draw in November against West Ham and Brentford.
They have made themselves difficult to beat but have sacrificed most of their attacking threat in doing so, failing to score in six of their last seven matches.
They face a Manchester City side in desperate need of three points on Boxing Day but probably represent ideal opponents for a City side that has been leaking goals for fun.
Pep Guardiola’s side have won just once in their last eight league games, but that one win did come in a home game where they managed to keep a clean sheet. They may just repeat the feat as they get back to winning ways in the early kick-off on Boxing Day.
Erling Haaland to have five+ shots
It seems strange to accuse Erling Haaland of having a poor season when the Norwegian striker has scored 13 goals in 17 league appearances, but that statistic does bely the struggles that Haaland has been experiencing in front of goal recently.
Haaland has scored just twice in his last eight league appearances and has only scored three league goals since September, with 10 of his 13 Premier League goals coming in the opening five games of the season.
That dip in goalscoring form has not been for want of trying. Haaland averages 4.2 shots per game in the Premier League, the joint-most of any player in the division, while he is especially shot-happy at home, averaging 5.1 shots per game at the Etihad, the highest home average in the league.
Everton, meanwhile, face well over 12 shots per game on average and are likely to face considerably more when they face a City side desperate for three points. It is not inconceivable in the slightest that Haaland will register five attempts on Boxing Day.
Everton goalkeeper to make 5+ saves
Jordan Pickford has played a significant role in Everton recording very credible goalless draws against Chelsea and Arsenal in recent weeks and will likely have to perform heroics at the Etihad if Everton are to take anything from their trip to City.
Pickford made exactly five saves in the games against Chelsea and Arsenal and also bailed the Toffees out in their goalless draw against West Ham last month.
He is almost certain to face a barrage of shots against City on Thursday, with Pep Guardiola’s side still leading the league in terms of shots per game in spite of their significant recent struggles. Pickford could easily make five saves against a determined City attack.
Everton to commit 11+fouls
Everton boast the second-best disciplinary record in the league, but that does not mean that they do not commit fouls.
Dyche’s side average 11.4 fouls per game, leaving them in mid-table in the league rankings, while that number rises to above 12 fouls per game when only away games are taken into account.
It is hardly surprising, given that they rank last in the league in terms of possession this season and spend large portions of the game without the ball.
Thursday’s trip to the Etihad will be no different. In fact, it is likely to be even worse than usual, with City ranking highest in the league in terms of average possession. It is not difficult to envisage a scenario where Everton are drawn into multiple fouls.
Manuel Akanji to attempt 90+ passes
It would be a huge surprise if City did not record at least 70% possession on Thursday. Everton’s two games against Arsenal and Chelsea has seen Dyche’s side record 23% and 25% of the ball respectively, with both Chelsea and Arsenal completing well over 600 passes.
Manuel Akanji, who completes an average of 75 passes per game, is likely to see even more of the ball than he is normally used to.
Akanji completes 95% of his passes on average, meaning he attempts roughly 80 passes per game. That attempt rate is likely to skyrocket against a team that boasts the lowest possession statistics in the league.
Man City v Everton betting tips
Both teams to score, no
Erling Haaland to have 5+ shots
Everton goalkeeper to make 5+ saves
Everton to commit 11+ fouls
Manuel Akanji to attempt 90+ passes
- A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 23/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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