Man City vs Everton LIVE team news confirmed as Guardiola springs selection surprise vs Everton

Seeking home comforts

City have generally been better away from home this season.

They were stunned by Spurs at the Etihad in August and a 5-1 scoreline against Burnley last month flattered them.

They will spend the rest of October in their travels but have three home games in a week in early November and it is important that the team feels like it is a happy place for them

City on transfer alert

Manchester City will be one of a clutch of clubs piqued by the news that Marc Guehi will definitely be departing Crystal Palace next year.

The England international is out of contract in 2026 and came close to joining Liverpool in the summer before the move broke down late in the window.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed that Guehi will not be signing a new contract. The Eagles could look to offload the 25-year-old in January to ensure they don't lose the defender for nothing, while Guehi will also be free to negotiate with overseas clubs from January 1.

Liverpool are sure to rekindle their interest while European giants Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona have all been linked with the former Chelsea man in recent weeks.

Read more here

City plan clear

Doku and Savinho in the same team is an indicator of how Guardiola wants City to attack this game. Get on the ball in the final third and have the quality to beat your defender.

Savinho, Doku, and Foden all have the opportunity to make the difference for today - even if their work just involves getting the ball to Haaland in space.

Everton changes as Grealish absence felt

Carlos Alcaraz is the Everton player in for Jack Grealish, but let’s be honest not having the City loanee available today is going to be a real blow for David Moyes.

We saw footage of Everton arriving not long ago and there was no sign of Grealish.

His absence means the visitors are a bit stretched and they have two goalkeepers on the bench.

Bad timing

The international break probably came at a bad time for City, who went seven unbeaten between the September and October stoppages, but now have to get going again.

At least they can ease themselves back in with a home fixture they will fancy winning.

Everton have started the season well but they will be without a key man in Jack Grealish and haven’t been great away from home.

Gvardiol absence a surprise

Josko Gvardiol gave an interview this week where he encouraged people not to pick him for their FPL team, and Guardiola spoke on Friday about the injury problems he has had from playing so often last season.

Nevertheless, it is still a surprise given that City’s defensive solidity has been the platform for their recent form. You would expect Gvardiol to start at Villarreal now.

Ake handed surprise start

Congratulations to everyone who picked Nathan Ake to start in their predicted XIs, your prizes are waiting for you at reception.

A very left-field pick from Guardiola when he has Stones and Gvardiol on the bench and it’s Ake first Premier League start since February.

Everton were one of the clubs linked with a move for Ake in the summer, so an added point of intrigue today.

Grealish back at the Etihad?

It will be interesting to see if Grealish turns up with the Toffees squad today. He is ineligible for this game, of course.

Guardiola said yesterday he hadn’t spoken to him since he had started playing for Everton but he would look forward to saying hello if he was at the Etihad today.

Grealish is unlikely to ever return to the club as a City player but his form for Everton is making a sale easier next summer.

Guardiola vs Moyes

David Moyes and Pep Guardiola have a long history together and enjoy coming up against each other.

Guardiola has naturally had the better of the head-to-heads but there have been some tricky battles and Moyes has shown in the past he can get his teams to frustrate City.

The Blues have been better this season at breaking opposition resistance early with goals, and will look for another fast start today.

Nico's big chance

Rodri said two weeks ago he would be fit to face Everton but he hasn’t returned to full training yet and Guardiola couldn’t say when he would be back yesterday.

It’s a blow for the Spaniard but this season could be like that for him. Nico Gonzalez has done a solid job replacing him this season but Mateo Kovacic played for Croatia in midweek and might well be pushing for a first City appearance of the season.

Stones told what to do for new deal

Pep Guardiola has challenged John Stones to prove his fitness to earn a new contract at Manchester City, with the centre-back now in his final year at the Etihad.

Stones has been blighted by injuries in the past couple of seasons and recently said he had considered retiring last term as the frustration of his battle to get fit took its toll.

But his patience has been rewarded this season, and the 31-year-old has been in fine form for club and country. He played all but 10 minutes of England's October double header against Wales and Latvia and has missed just one Premier League game with a minor injury.

Stones started City's first three Premier League games of the season but has since played second fiddle to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol. Guardiola remains a huge fan of the defender and although he insists contract talks are a matter for director of football Hugo Viana, the City boss told Stones that fitness was going to be the major issue when it comes to a new deal.

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Pep's eyes light up

You know Pep Guardiola is enjoying himself in a press conference at Manchester City when the wink comes out. The Catalan will crack a joke, pick out a face in the audience and wink. It is all part of the theatre.

But he doesn't always enjoy these scenarios and on a Friday afternoon, he can be slow to warm up, only really engaging as we get deeper into the press conference.

Maybe it's more pronounced straight after an international break, because the City boss was monosyllabic at the start of his pre-Everton press conference. Offering one or two-word answers and showing little appetite for offering an opinion on anything put to him.

That all changed when Carles Planchart's name came up. Planchart, a performance analyst who worked with Guardiola for 18 years at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City, said last week that his old boss should consider leaving the Etihad to begin a new project.

Read more on why that should excite City fans here

Pep's warning

Pep Guardiola wants no excuses from his Manchester City players as he looks for every member of his squad to be pushing for a regular starting place.

Omar Marmoush, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki are all set to return for the Blues to ease their injury concerns and give the manager more options for his matchdays. However, all three find the team in a much better state than when they were sidelined.

After a difficult opening that included two defeats from their first three games, City have found their feet in all competitions and are on a seven-match unbeaten streak where the only two draws were both down to goals conceded in the dying minutes.

A number of players have found their form, with Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Nico O'Reilly all making convincing claims to keep their starting places when the injured players return.

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Early team news

Manchester City return to Premier League action this weekend with Everton the visitors.

The Blues pieced together a seven game unbeaten run in all competitions between the September and October international breaks and will hope for a similar run of form over the next few weeks.

Those results helped Guardiola's side climb to fifth in the Premier League, just three points behind leaders Arsenal, while they are into the Carabao Cup fourth round and have four points from six in the Champions League.

The visit of an improving Everton, who drew 0-0 at the Etihad last season, will present a stern test but is the type of fixture City must claim three points in if they are to challenge for the title.

Here's how we think City might line-up

Injury latest

City could be missing five players for the Everton game as Pep Guardiola assesses his options.

The Blues returned from the international break on Thursday but Rodri was not present after the injury he picked up at Brentford. The Spanish midfielder had to be substituted with a hamstring problem at Brentford and while he hoped to be fit for the Everton game it has come too soon for him to feature.

Abdukodir Khusanov is also a doubt after not being present in training. He suffered an injury against Arsenal last month and is working his way back to full fitness.

Mateo Kovacic should be in the squad, having made the last three matchdays following the Achilles surgery that kept him out of the beginning of the campaign. However, he has not yet kicked a ball for the Blues this season and Guardiola warned that his return would have to come one step at a time.

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