Manchester City head to the Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time to take on Everton on Monday, hoping to strike back in the Premier League title race.
Pep Guardiola's side had leapfrogged Arsenal into top spot after their win over Burnley, but Mikel Arteta's team retook the lead after their win over Newcastle United. Arsenal could potentially be six points clear when City take to the pitch against Everton, but will have played two more games.
City are on a run of six consecutive wins, including two over Arsenal, and comprehensive victories over Liverpool and Chelsea. A comeback 2-1 win over Southampton sent Guardiola's side into the FA Cup final against Chelsea, as they chase a domestic treble.
Everton, meanwhile, come into this game on the back of two last-gasp defeats to Liverpool and West Ham United and will hope for a change in fortune. David Moyes' side are eleventh in the table, but only two points behind Bournemouth in seventh as they chase a European spot.
Moyes, who has never defeated Guardiola in his career (0-2-13 W-D-L), will be aiming that Everton can beat City for the first time since January 2017.
Here's everything you need to know about Monday's game.
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK, NBC / Peacock in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Monday, May 4 at 8 p.m. GMT (3 p.m. ET; 12:30 a.m. IST, Tuesday and 5 a.m. AEST, Tuesday).
Venue: Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool.
Referee: Michael Oliver
VAR: Paul Howard
Injury and Team News:
Everton
Jarrad Branthwaite, D: hamstring, OUT
Beto, F: concussion, DOUBT
Jack Grealish, M: foot, OUT
Manchester City
Josko Gvardiol, D: leg, OUT
Rúben Dias, D: hamstring, DOUBT
Rodri, M: discomfort, DOUBT
Talking Points:
Onus on City to respond - but this is familiar territory
Man City could very well be six points behind Arsenal when they take on Everton, but Pep Guardiola will be quite unbothered should that scenario arise. His side have brushed aside the competition since their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid, scoring 14 goals and conceding three en route six wins.
Even when City trailed for the first time in over a month against Southampton in the FA Cup semifinal, there was an air of inevitability around their comeback -- which took all of eight minutes after going behind.
Guardiola's teams have repeatedly come up with the goods in April and May, and that is precisely why they are in line for a domestic treble this season. With the league title potentially coming down to goal difference, that all their attackers like Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki and Jérémy Doku have found the net in recent times.
Everton represent tough opposition, sure, but City have the firepower, and form, to blow past them.
Battle of fine margins for Moyes' Everton
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens criticise Premier League officiating after appearing to miss a handball call against West Ham's Mateus Fernandes against Everton.
In another universe, Everton could have been coming into this game firmly in the driving seat for Europe, on a seven-match unbeaten run. However, they suffered last-gasp losses against Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham, which could easily have been draws, while picking up wins over Newcastle United, Burnley and Chelsea in that spell.
Three additional points in the race for Europe would have been vital had David Moyes' side held on in the final moments -- while also pushing them up to sixth in the table. After spending the last four seasons successfully battling relegation, the physical requirements of a push for Europe has Everton's squad creaking at the seems.
They face trips to Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur as well as hosting Sunderland in their final three games of the season, when the pressure will firmly be on them. This game against City is a foregone conclusion in many eyes (Everton have not beaten City in their last seventeen league games), and perhaps the lack of expectations might allow the hosts to punch above their weight.
City have the squad to deal with fixture congestion
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes their hopes of winning a domestic treble is still far away.
In another universe, Everton could have been coming into this game firmly in the driving seat for Europe, on a seven-match unbeaten run. However, they suffered last-gasp losses against Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham, which could easily have been draws, while picking up wins over Newcastle United, Burnley and Chelsea in that spell.
Three additional points in the race for Europe would have been vital had David Moyes' side held on in the final moments - while also pushing them up to sixth in the table. After spending the last four seasons successfully battling relegation, the physical requirements of a push for Europe has Everton's squad creaking at the seems.
They face trips to Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur as well as hosting Sunderland in their final three games of the season, when the pressure will firmly be on them. This game against City is a foregone conclusion in many eyes (Everton have not beaten City in their last seventeen league games), and perhaps the lack of expectations might allow the hosts to punch above their weight.
Hill Dickinson stadium could play a part in crucial contest
The stats point to one result and one result alone -- a City victory. Everton last beat them in January 2017, with no victories in the 17 league games between the two clubs since. David Moyes is still searching for a first victory over Pep Guardiola in his career.
Yet, Everton might look past all of that for a simple reason -- they all took place at Goodison Park. The Hill Dickinson stadium has not proved to be much of a fortress this season, but in a crucial game in their quest for Europe, the crowd could cheer on a defence that has conceded fewer than Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United this season.
Moyes' side are statistically the fifth-best defence in the league, but have struggled to find the net. Even in the reverse fixture against City this season, Everton had held firm, until Haaland proved to be the difference with a couple of crucial goals.
The pressure will be on City however, and if Moyes' defence holds firm, encouraged by a raucous crowd, Everton could pull off a surprise.
What do the numbers say?
Man City have won fourteen and drawn three of their last 17 league games against Everton, with a 0-4 defeat in January 2017 the last time they tasted defeat against the Toffees.
Everton have conceded injury-time winners in their last two PL games - no team in league history has done so in three consecutive games.
Doku has assisted four of Haaland's goals in the league this season, the second-most prolific combination in the league.
Everton's run of eight straight defeats at home against City is their worst against any opposition in the league.
No other team has collected more points or conceded fewer goals than City (24 pts, 8 conceded) in their last eleven league games.