Man City 1.56 v Everton 6.60; The Draw 4.70
Wednesday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 1
Wednesday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 1
Man City
Manuel Pellegrini appeared to be the man with the answer to the Everton problem. Whereas Man City lost nine in 12 to these opponents prior to his arrival, his first five meetings yielded four triumphs and a draw.
The New Year has brought some old bad habits though, as they were beaten 2-1 in the first-leg of this Capital One Cup semi-final at Goodison Park on January 6 and held 0-0 at the Etihad Stadium a week later.
The Citizens suffered a sixth stumble in 11 domestic fixtures at West Ham on Saturday, trailing twice before rescuing a 2-2 draw. The good news is that while they haven't earned successive victories throughout that sequence, they haven't gone two games without a win either, so a response is due.
Vincent Kompany and Samir Nasri won't be on hand to help issue it, but those long-term absentees are expected to be the only men unavailable to contribute to this comeback attempt.
Everton
Your previewer suggested earlier this week that it wasn't the wisest policy for Roberto Martinez to relentlessly overhype his players because it would merely invite onlookers to observe that if the squad is so strong, it must be the manager's fault that they are 12th in the Premier League.
If the Spaniard saw that advice, he certainly didn't appreciate it, following up with the typically hyperbolic statement that "John Stones is in the right environment to fulfil his potential as one of the greatest players England has ever seen".
Back to the matter at hand, while this is an important encounter for Man City, it is arguably season-defining and perhaps even direction-altering for Everton.
Now that the gap to Tottenham in fourth stands at 13 points, they are unlikely to achieve anything special in the league, so the sole significant way that Martinez can show that he is improving on David Moyes' work three years in is to deliver a trophy to a club starved of silverware since 1995.
James McCarthy won't be fit to assist having been sidelined since late December, and Muhamed Besic and Kevin Mirallas are further untimely doubts after hobbling off in the first half of Sunday's home defeat to lowly Swansea.
Match Odds
Everton will feel optimistic about their prospects of progress following a 2-1 first-leg win, but Capital One Cup semi-final double headers are conducive to recoveries. Five of the last 13 sides to prevail in the first leg failed to reach the final, while another two lost their leads in the return and were taken to extra time.
Two other encouraging trends for the guests are their record of one road reverse from 14 fixtures in 2015/16 and their aforementioned goalless draw at the Etihad a fortnight ago. However, the latter result required a host of Tim Howard saves and a ridiculous refusal to award a penalty when Stones took out Raheem Sterling in the box.
Man City have won a mighty 11 of their past 13 home outings, as well as their two prior clashes with Everton in front of their fans under Pellegrini, so they should vindicate their status as 1.56favourites.
They also have bossed five of their last six as hosts in this competition, and even more compellingly than that, they have scored an enormous 27 goals in doing so, firing three or more in every success.
Anytime Wincast
If you agree with the above verdict that Man City will win, yet want a way to increase the price,combining the possibility with the other odds-on shot that Sergio Aguero finds the net at wincast odds of 2.10 is the ideal option.
The prolific Argentine saved his best for the run-in last term, striking 13 times from mid-February onwards, and he has started his hot streak even earlier in this campaign, as evidenced by the braces against impressive Crystal Palace and West Ham teams in his most recent two appearances.
He has scored six times already in 2016 and will be excited by the five goals that Everton have leaked in two matches since he was last let loose on Stones and co.
Recommended Bet
Back Man City to win and Aguero to score @ 2.10
