Frank Lampard's Everton host league-leaders Manchester City as both sides look to bounce back from defeat. Jake Pearson has previewed the fixture, picking out his best bet.
Football betting tips: Premier League
1pt Over 3.5 Goals at 6/4 (BetVictor)
Using the opening couple of paragraphs to give a brief overview on Frank Lampard’s short tenure as Everton boss is quite a daunting task; safe to say it has been chaotic.
His four matches in charge have seen 13 goals – eight for and six against – while the total xG per match for games involving the Toffees in the Premier League has increased from 3.0 to 3.42.
Entertainment is almost a guarantee at Goodison Park now, but be careful what you wish for, because two defeats and one victory for Lampard in the league has left his side just four points above the relegation places. Fear not though, because it’s only Manchester City visiting this weekend.
Kick-off time: 17:30 GMT, Saturday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
Everton 10/1 | Draw 5/1 | Man City 1/4
City’s defeat at home to Tottenham last weekend really threw a spanner in the works as far as the league title is concerned. Prior to that match the Premier League looked done and dusted, but the result leaves Liverpool just six points behind with a game in hand, and with the two still to meet at the Etihad.
Effectively, the league is in both of their hands.
It is probably not time for the alarm bells to start ringing just yet, however. That was, after all, City’s first league defeat since October, and to be honest, it is difficult to see another following it on Merseyside.
Guardiola’s side do tend to struggle against a more tactically astute outfit, a well-organised unit that employ a game plan designed to stifle the champions. Whether Frank Lampard’s Everton can do that is questionable to say the least.
While many might had hoped that Lampard had learnt from his time at Chelsea – particularly considering the way Thomas Tuchel has since transformed the same group of players into an extremely efficient outfit – if his first four matches are anything to go by, he hasn’t.
Playing expansive football against City is a major risk, as Leeds (lost 7-0) and Leicester (lost 6-3) have found this season.
That the Citizens have scored 18 goals across their last four in all competitions, and some of those against teams employing a structured defensive line (namely Brentford and Tottenham), it is difficult to see this match-up not producing plenty of goals. A top price of 6/4 about OVER 3.5 GOALS is certainly of interest.
The selection would have landed in four of City’s last five in all competitions, as well as is all but one of Lampard’s games as Everton boss.
That the Toffees have also conceded an expected goals against (xGA) total of 6.24 in their three league matches against Newcastle, Leeds and Southampton gives further encouragement to the assumption that City will rack up a fairly high xG total themselves.
That is not to say this will be completely one-sided, with Everton possessing the individual quality, as well as the chaos factor employed by Lampard, to hurt City going the other way, and at least one effort finding its way past Ederson is not unlikely – City are more than capable of allowing chances when drawn into a slugging match.
This fixture certainly has all the ingredients to be one of the games of the season.
Everton v Man City best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Over 3.5 Goals at 6/4 (BetVictor)
Score prediction: Everton 1-4 Man City (Sky Bet odds: 14/1)
Odds correct at 1045 GMT (23/02/22)
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