Everton vs. Manchester City and Pick to Win
Date:Saturday, October 16th 2016
Where: English Premier League Manchester, UK
by Keith, Professional Soccer/Football Handicapper, Predictem
Match Odds: Everton 32/5, Draw 4/1, Manchester City 1/2
Moneyline: Everton +620, Draw +400, Manchester City -200
Over/Under Best Market: UNDER 3 13/12 (+105)
Manchester City and Everton are two of the most decorated teams in all the English Premier League. This is a clash of Liverpool and Manchester featuring the two teams that have often played second fiddle to the two more prestigious outfits in their respective cities. However, Everton and Manchester City are very much in the fold as of now. Everton is on the road to recovering their program. Manchester City is asserting their dominance in hopes of capturing yet another English Premier League title. The two will face off at Etihad Stadium in the Clayton section of Manchester, England on Saturday for a heavily covered contest of North West England foes seeking to pick up a much needed victory.
Everton has certainly cooled off after getting off to a bit of a roll. At one point the Toffees sat in second on the English Premier League table with 13 points. The Toffees have resurrected their football program after meandering and mingling in the middle of the table for the past couple seasons. Nevertheless, attrition is painfully visible as the Toffees have picked up just one point in their last two games. In spite of this, the Toffees are used to competing in the top half of the table and established a reputation as a regular for European tournament qualification. Nevertheless, losses against Bournemouth and Norwich City in non-league play suggest Everton still has much to improve upon. Coupling this with a draw against Crystal Palace and suddenly Everton does not appear to be the team that hovered near the front of the pack not too long ago. Still we would be remiss to highlight the potential calamity that could await Manchester City if they buy in to the mindset of this market. Everton has some premiere players in their ranks, including Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley, Ashley Williams and Leighton Baines. All of these players have earned starting roles on regarded national squads on a list that includes Belgium, England and Wales, emerging and traditional Euro powers.
After getting off to a sizzling start, Manchester City has also slowed down. Manchester City has been wrecking opponents they have crossed paths since Pep Guardiola took over. City has scored at will and their players have scored with ease in innovative and unique methods week in and week out. The talent is supreme and the Citizens simply know how to generate offense. This all changed when the Citizens were blanked by Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in their most recent fixture. Manchester City remains a highly touted favorite to win the league as they still sit at the top of the standings.
We will once again champion the importance of staying clear of juice, it doesnt matter how good any team is. Manchester City has been a spectacle for the English Premier League but after jumping out to a commanding lead, they find Tottenham Hotspur nipping at their heels. Man City is typically a team that starts strong and fades down the backstretch and many takers are starting to believe this situation may be coming to fruition. Still, Manchester City has a great chance of winning this league outright and given the fact this game is at home, many takers are banking on home pitch advantage playing a role in this one. We will never buy in to that mindset, especially when we have a team as good as Everton at the price offered here. It is simply too good to pass up. In terms of Over/Under we can find ourselves nestled in an above evens situation by playing on the Under 3. Given the fact many takers may suspect this one to be all offense, we will go the other way and go for the conservative approach.
Everton Recent Form
D Crystal Palace 1-1
L Bournemouth 0-1
L Norwich City 0-2
W Middlesborough 3-1
W Sunderland 3-0
Manchester City Recent Form
L Tottenham Hotspur 0-2
D Celtic 3-3
W Swansea City 2-1
W Swansea City 3-1
W Bournemouth 4-0
Keith’s Prediction for the Game: Everton 32/5 (+640) and UNDER 3 13/12 (+105)