MANCHESTER CITY have returned to action with a swagger and the champions will be looking to pile pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal when they host struggling Everton.
With the Gunners not in action until later on Hogmanay, Pep Guardiola's men have the chance to move just two points off the summit by beating the freefalling Toffees.
Man City signed off for the World Cup break with a shock loss at home to Brentford but have slipped into top gear after Qatar 2022 with wins over Liverpool and Leeds.
The champions scored three times in both of those matches, with our man Mark seeing both his recommended bets land in the 3-1 midweek triumph at Elland Road.
Goal machine Erling Haaland is back in the old routine, scoring three times in the last two games to take his tally to 26 for the season.
So the last thing under-pressure Everton boss Frank Lampard needs right now is a trip to the Etihad, with his side slipping back towards the drop zone.
It looked like Lampard had turned the corner after a decent summer in the transfer market, with Everton going seven games unbeaten after kicking off the campaign with successive losses to Everton and Aston Villa.
But their form has been dismal since then, with just one victory in their last nine outings casting a dark cloud over Goodison Park again.
The Toffees crashed 2-1 at home to fellow strugglers Wolves in midweek and you fear it could get ugly for them against City if the champions make an early breakthrough.
How the bookies view it
Everton have been written off with Lampard's side as big as 22/1 with William Hill. Manchester City's best price is a tiny 1/7 with Unibet and even the draw pays a huge 9/1 with VBet.
Recent head to head
The Toffees have a dismal record in this fixture, with Manchester City winning the last 10 meetings. Everton haven't even managed a goal in their last four clashes with Guardiola's side, with City winning 1-0 at Goodison last term after a 3-0 triumph at home.
Players to watch
It's hard to look past Haaland for a Man City goal and the Norwegian is just 2/5 at Unibet for anytime scorer. The odds are better for Haaland to open the scoring at 41/20 with the same firm while McBookie price him at a tempting 10/3 to score with a header.
Anthony Gordon has been the main creative spark for Everton this season and looks their best bet to hurt City's defence. The winger is 8/1 at Bet365 for anytime scorer while McBookie price an assist at 9/1.
Anything else catch the eye?
Lampard will probably park the bus in an attempt to frustrate Manchester City so it could pay to back most goals to come after the break. That bet landed in the Etihad meeting last term and it pays 10/11 with McBookie.
Guardiola's side are usually good value in the corner handicap, especially at the Etihad. Manchester City -6 in the handicap pays 10/11 here with Bet365 and that bet has landed in three of their last five home games.
I'd expect City to dominate possession and I'm tempted by the 11/10 on offer at Unibet for over 9.5 Everton fouls as their defence will be in for a long afternoon.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Everton will be played on Dec 31, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Everton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
