Manchester City vs Everton Prediction, Odds and Picks for Tomorrow, 12/26/24

One of the most remarkable storylines of the season continued on Saturday as the Premier League champions, Manchester City, were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa. That defeat at Villa Park marked City’s 9th loss in 12 games – a run which includes just 1 win – with Pep Guardiola’s side stuck in a seemingly never-ending rut that nobody could have predicted coming into the season.  The returns of Mateo Kovacic and John Stones were expected to help the champions stop the rot but neither could have enough of a positive impact to prevent a 3rd straight loss, which has left City 12 points behind leaders Liverpool in the EPL standings while having also played a game more.

Normally, a visit from a relegation-threatened team like Everton would represent a stroll in the park for Guardiola’s men, but they are hard to trust in this current form and the Toffees may smell blood. Sean Dyche’s team is still toiling away towards the bottom of the table, sitting 15th, but a tie with title-chasing Arsenal in their last road game and a subsequent stalemate with Chelsea at Goodison Park suggests they might not be without hope at the Etihad. Their 0-0 tie with Chelsea snapped an 8-game winning streak for the Blues, proving that the Toffees are more than capable of frustrating the best teams in the Premier League on their day.