Mark Lawrenson predicts result of Everton v Manchester City
Everton will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they face Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday (26 February) at Goodison Park.
The Toffees are heading into this game on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Southampton, and BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has predicted a 3-0 defeat for them against the Premier League champions.
Under Frank Lampard, Everton won 3-0 at Leeds at Goodison Park earlier this month, and he will be expecting another strong performance at home.
Lawrenson said, as quoted by the BBC Sport website: “Everton’s relegation worries are already very real.
“But if Burnley and Newcastle both win earlier on Saturday – which, given their recent form wouldn’t be a huge surprise – the Toffees will be in the bottom three for the first time this season by the time this game kicks off.
“It doesn’t matter how good you are, when you are a team down there and actually in the relegation zone, especially at this stage of the campaign, then that brings pressure and you need a different mentality from your players to deal with it. Some just aren’t able to.
“It is defensively where Everton’s problems lie. They are porous, and a team as good as Manchester City will take full advantage of that.
“Everton boss Frank Lampard can try packing his defence, I suppose, but I still don’t think they will keep City out.”
Spot on
Manchester City will be looking for a reaction following their 3-2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in their previous game.
The leaky defence is a major concern for Lampard, and he will have to come up with a strong plan to combat City’s fearsome attacking unit.
Will he pack his defence and frustrate City? Will Everton look to stay resolute at the back and look for counter-attacks? The chances are very high that City will keep a lot of possession and the Toffees might have to be very patient in their approach.
The home fans have been tremendous, and they could look to create another intimidating atmosphere at Goodison Park. However, against a quality team like Man City, the Toffees must not lose their focus.
Lampard could also look to pack his midfield, with Abdoulaye Doucoure likely to return. In that case, a three-man midfield will provide more stability to the side.
In other Everton news, a Super Computer has made Everton’s relegation prediction after their shock loss v Southampton
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