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Eastlands has kept the cold snap and bay and tonights game with Manchester City has been given the green light. With so many other Premier League games falling foul of the weather this is an ideal time to scoop three points and start making some headway back up the table althouh three points would only take us as high as 13th. Man City in the meantime could spend their way to top of the league this evening. However with the Tevez sage rumbling on could the seeds of discontent be spreading in the City camp.
Vital Quotes: Tim Cahill
Man City are a big team now with where they are in the table and in the world of football. They are a team pretty much mentioned in every conversation about football with what happens there on and off the park.
“It is nice for their fans for it to have changed around so quickly because I can remember playing against Man City when they were in the lower leagues not that long ago.
“For us we have good players and we get excited about these big games. They have got some big names but we are capable of competing with anyone and this is a massive game.
“We love going to big stadiums and playing big teams like Manchester City. We relish the opportunity of playing one of the biggest teams in the world at the moment. It is all there for us to take.”
Manchester City Team News:
Tevez is set to start for City despite handing in a transfer request he could have the Lescott effect for City and hopefully Everton can take full advantage.
De Jong is serving the last game of his suspension and Martin Johnson is injured with a knee injury.
Lescott looks set to miss out on a starting spot having seemingly fell from Manchini’s good graces.
Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, K Toure, Kolarov, Silva, Barry, Y Toure, Johnson, Tevez, Balotelli
Player to watch: Balotelli.
Very exciting young player who has already shown he can hack it at this level with some of his performances this season already. However he does have a nasty temper and if we can wind him up today I can easily see him getting his marching orders.
Everton Team News:
Arteta is serving his final game of a three match suspension.
Pienaar will have a late fitness test on a groin injury that saw him limp off against Wigan.
Tony Hibbert and Heitinga are both in contention to at least make the bench.
Everton: Howard, Neville, Distin, Jagielka, Baines, Coleman, Rodwell, Fellaini, Pienaar, Osman, Saha
Player to watch: Baines
With both Arteta and Pienaar possibly absent for tonights game Baines could be our only source of creativity and source of ammunition for the strikers. He has had a good couple of games recently and hopefully he can deliver the goods again this evening.
Match Facts & Stats
Everton are looking for a fourth consecutive league win at the City of Manchester Stadium
The Toffees have beaten City in five of the last six meetings between the sides
City have failed to score on the last three occasions they have hosted Everton
Manchester City have only scored eight goals at home this season – the joint-fewest in the Premier League
Carlos Tevez has scored 10 of City’s 24 league goals this season. City have never lost a Premier League match in which he has scored
If Everton fail to beat Manchester City, it will be the club’s longest run without a victory under David Moyes and longest since an eight-match streak in 1999
Ref Watch:
Peter friggin Walton ffs. We always get this clown
Match Prediction:
Everton are going to have to keep it tight at the back tonight and look to hit City on the break. City seem to have thrown enough money about to scrap together a decent side. They are by no means unbeatable like I said before give Balotelli a couple of kicks and get in their faces and I think we have a better than even chance. I have predicted Everton wins these past couple of weeks however I will go with a 1-1 tonight.