Manchester City will play their final Premier League match of the season when they host Everton on Sunday. Will Pep Guardiola look to experiment with his team selection? The league champions have one match to go before they take part in the Champions League final next week. It would also be the final chance for some of the players to state their case for a spot in the starting eleven against Chelsea.
As for the Toffees, they come to the Etihad with their hopes of getting European football hanging by a thread. They need to finish seventh to qualify for the Conference League and for that to happen they need all three points along with Spurs falling short of a win.
Manchester City vs Everton FYIs
Kick-off time: 4 PM GMT, 23 May Sunday
Manchester City Team News: go here
Form Guide Premier League: Manchester City (WWLWL) Everton (LWDLW)
We can expect to see Pep set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation that has Ederson in goal. Kyle Walker will come in as the right-back due to Joao Cancelo’s suspension. On the left, it will be Benjamin Mendy starting. In the centre of defence, John Stones and Ruben will be the chosen duo.
Fernandinho is expected to start the game, as there are doubts over Ilkay Gundogan’s availability. The Brazilian will be partnered with Rodri in central midfield. He will have to sit back to protect the defence and allow the Spaniard to move forward. It might look like a defensive pairing, but they are both equally capable of contributing to the attack.
In this formation, Bernardo Silva will be playing as the central attacking midfielder. The Portuguese will have support on either side with Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden on the wings. Both the wide men will be looking to get behind the Everton defence.
Up front, the decision could be based on sentiment as Sergio Aguero plays his last match for Manchester City. Though the forward has a problem with his leg, he will be eager to feature in front of the City fans one last time. The visitors badly need to get the win, but doing so is going to be tough. It should be a victorious end to the season for the league champions.
Predicted Manchester City Starting XI vs Everton (4-2-3-1):
Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Benjamin Mendy, Rodri, Fernandinho, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Sergio Aguero