Paul Merson has made his prediction for the upcoming Premier League clash between Everton and Manchester City at Goodison Park this weekend.
The Toffees gave themselves a lifeline in their battle against relegation with a huge 5-1 win over Brighton on Monday (8 May) to move out of the relegation zone.
But they now face treble-chasing Man City at home, and speaking to SportsKeeda (11 May) he claimed it was a must-win game for both teams with their differing aspirations which led to him backing Pep Guardiola’s side to come out victorious.
“Three weeks ago, you’d look at this as an easy fixture for Manchester City,” he said.
“I do expect Manchester City to win it. But Everton were really good against Brighton and I think they played well against Leicester in the 2-2 draw as well.
“This won’t be a straightforward win for Manchester City. Even when they were struggling in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, they looked capable of scoring goals. That’s why I don’t think Everton is going to get the better of City.
“Three weeks ago, you’d look at this as an easy fixture for Manchester City,” he said.
“I do expect Manchester City to win it. But Everton were really good against Brighton and I think they played well against Leicester in the 2-2 draw as well.
“This won’t be a straightforward win for Manchester City. Even when they were struggling in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, they looked capable of scoring goals. That’s why I don’t think Everton is going to get the better of City.
“I don’t think Pep Guardiola can rest his key players for this game and keep them fresh for the second leg against Real Madrid next week.
“City have to turn up against Everton. I know they’ve got a game to lose but the way the fixtures are going, I think this is a must-win game. Everton 0-2 Manchester City.”
Tough task
It’s fair to say that nobody gave Everton a hope in hell of beating Brighton when the teams met on Monday (8 May) but Sean Dyche’s side put in a stunning performance.
Scoring five goals was something that nobody saw coming and the squad will now be full of confidence that there is a chance of getting out of this mess.
However, against Man City, we’ll be coming up against a winning machine and we’ll have to be at our very best while hoping that they’re a little bit off it.
They may have an eye on their midweek Champions League clash with Real Madrid and that can only be a positive for Everton if that’s the case, but if we don’t turn up and do our job then it simply won’t matter.
The fans will be right behind the team and the players will feel the love. Anything is possible at Goodison, so if we can prove Merson wrong then nobody should be too surprised considering the circumstances.
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