Game Week 33 Predictions: Manchester City to beat Everton

Man City visit Everton for Goodison Park's farewell clash; champions chase UCL spot as relaxed Toffees aim to spoil the party. Verdict: City to win.

Everton can hurt Manchester City's Champions League ambitions; will the Cityzens let them? (Photo credit: GOAL)

 Everton vs Manchester City

Goodison Park

3:00pm

It is the last time Everton will be hosting Manchester City at Goodison Park, and every home game from now on is a final – emotional and iconic – and they would love to make it memorable.

Everton is safe from relegation, and they must thank David Moyes for stepping up for them in his second coming. Many would argue that the state of things with the three promoted sides would still have gotten Sean Dyche over the line; however, Everton fans would be glad Moyes came back.

For the champions, their reigns have come to an end. Their run of four league titles in a row has been halted by a disappointing season, and in the real sense of it, they were never in it this season, but they hope to finish as high as possible.

Mathematically, the Cityzens can still finish second, but the goal would be to finish within the top five, which would be sufficient for Champions League football next season. They must not take things for granted, as Everton would really go for this.

It’s pre-season mode for Everton right now; they currently sit in 13th on the log, five points behind Palace in 12th. They would love to finish as high as possible, but without a shadow of doubt, they’re only counting down to the end of the season.

It isn’t the same for the champions who must not slip away from the race to finish in Champions League places; Aston Villa and Chelsea are both only one point behind Manchester City, any slip up could mean that the champions would finish the weekend outside Champions League places.

How will Pep Guardiola approach this? He wants to win; he needs to win, and he would hope his team doesn’t start poorly like they did last weekend at home to Crystal Palace, where they were behind by two goals in the opening quarter of the game. He would love to go for the jugular as early as possible.

Everton will sit back to counter. They have nothing to lose, and a game like this would be more of a free hit than anything else. They are practically in pre-season mode, and Manchester City must be wary of the fact that they’re playing a team that is so relaxed without pressure.

Expect Omar Marmoush to lead the line; Guardiola started the game against Palace without his wingers; he opted to play through the middle, and it paid off through Kevin De Bruyne. Everton would depend on their solid defence, but can they stop the champions?

Verdict: Manchester City to win.