Chris Sutton predicts result of Everton showdown v Manchester City for BBC Sport
Everton will extend their winless run in the Premier League to seven matches when they face Manchester City on Saturday 10 February, according to Chris Sutton.
The BBC Sport pundit believes that Sean Dyche’s side will come away from the Etihad Stadium empty-handed and be unable to build upon their 2-2 draw with Tottenham last time out, predicting that Pep Guardiola’s City side will win 3-0.
Manchester City have won each of their last nine matches in all competitions and Sutton believes the Premier League champions will keep a rare clean sheet and beat the Toffees comfortably on Saturday.
Writing in his Premier League predictions for BBC Sport (8 February) he said: “Manchester City are going to take some stopping now, but they do need Erling Haaland to find his shooting boots. Everything is going to click for him again soon, though, it is just a question of when.
“We know what the Everton approach will be, which is to try to hang on in there and counter-attack and try to threaten from set-pieces like they did against Tottenham last week.
“I know from having Kyle Walker in my Fantasy Football team that City seem to concede every week – they have only kept one clean sheet in the league since the end of September – but I reckon it will be a different story on Saturday. City should win comfortably.
“Everton are still in the bottom three and need to pick up some points soon but that is something that is far more likely in their next three games – against Crystal Palace, Brighton and West Ham – than in this one.”
Manchester City a write-off in Everton relegation battle
Everton need to start winning games sooner rather than later, but as Sutton suggested, wins over Manchester City are not what tends to keep teams up in the Premier League.
If Dyche’s side want to avoid the drop into the Championship, they need to start winning games against the teams around them at the foot of the table as they are the clashes that ultimately prove to be season-defining.
Should the Toffees somehow find a way to claim all three points at the Etihad, it will be a huge boost to their survival hopes, but losing Saturday’s clash would not be a damning blow in their fight to remain in the Premier League.
Everton have to just approach this game as they have done every other clash this season and hope that they can produce a moment or two of magic to claim at least a point against the Premier League’s best team.
In other Everton news, Michail Antonio has shared an update on the Toffees’ “coasting” fight against relegation
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