After a long and at times tortuous international break, Everton are back.
The two-week gap between fixtures has often brought a blissful sense of relief in recent years, thanks to the team’s struggles. We needed any excuse to stop thinking about Everton for a while.
But with things finally looking up, Evertonians were desperate for the next match immediately after that dramatic, last-gasp Jack Grealish winner against Crystal Palace – even if it is a tricky fixture at the Etihad.
Four games without a win
– featuring two frustrating home draws, a derby defeat, and that awful Carabao Cup loss at Wolves – had doused some of the optimism generated by three successive wins before the first international break. But beating Palace stopped Everton’s decent start to the season from turning into an average one.
It was also important because of what’s to come. Everton’s fixture list has been relatively kind so far. But the visit to City is followed by a home game against Tottenham, before a trip to upwardly mobile Sunderland on a Monday night. It feels like the season is now starting to really click into gear.
Everton were busy off the pitch during the international break, with James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford signing new deals. David Moyes clearly values Tarkowski’s experience, and the former Burnley man has been one of the team’s most consistent and reliable players since joining three years ago. His form this year has dipped slightly, though that could be down to the lingering effects of a hamstring injury suffered at the end of last season.
There have been no such concerns with Pickford, who became the first England goalkeeper to keep nine successive clean sheets after the win over Latvia on Tuesday. The 31-year-old’s loyalty to Everton continues to baffle some pundits, who see it as either a lack of ambition or a sign he is not an elite goalkeeper. He is even damned with faint praise such as “he’s never let England down” or “he performs better for England than Everton”.
But Evertonians know his true ability – the club would be in the Championship without him. And persuading Pickford to commit his best years to the club is yet another sign that Everton are moving in a positive direction.
The opposition
Are Manchester City back? Or did they never really go away?
Last year saw City accrue 71 points – their lowest tally under Pep Guardiola – finishing outside of the top two for the first time since the Spaniard’s debut season in 2016–17.
But since the turn of the year, they have the best points-per-game average in the Premier League (2.04 – 53 from 26). They’re the league’s top scorers (55) and have picked up the joint-most wins (16, level with Liverpool).
Erling Haaland, who only scored 34 goals last season – the lowest tally in his three years at City – has already scored 12 goals in nine games in all competitions, and smashed a hat-trick for Norway during the international break.
Ominous.
Everton, unsurprisingly, have a dreadful recent record at the Etihad. Despite drawing two of the last three meetings, they are without a win in 14 games – stretching back to what felt like the coldest day in history, in December 2010. Their last win over City at home was that famous Tom Davies-inspired 4–0 thrashing in January 2017 under (whisper it quietly) Ronald Koeman.
Still, could be fun though.
Previous meeting
Everton 0–2 Manchester City, 19 April 2025
Everton gamely held on for 84 minutes against Manchester City when the sides last met in April, but goals from Nico O’Reilly and a stoppage-time strike from Mateo Kovacic gave the visitors a win they perhaps deserved on the balance of play, but had to work very hard to secure.
It would also prove to be Everton’s final ever defeat at Goodison Park.
Team news
Everton will, of course, be without Jack Grealish as he is ineligible to play against his parent club. However, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is available again after suspension and is likely to go straight back into the side, as Moyes rejigs his front three. Iliman Ndiaye could move back to the left, with either Tyler Dibling or Charly Alcaraz taking up a role on the right.
They have also been boosted by the return to training of Jarrad Branthwaite and Merlin Röhl, though it remains to be seen whether either will be pitched straight in.
Nathan Patterson is ruled out after picking up an injury while playing for the U21s against Bradford in midweek.
Final word
Everton were well worth their draw at the Etihad last season, but this feels like a different City side this time around. A similar result would be a mighty fine effort – and probably the best we can realistically hope for.
