Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City sit six points behind Jose Mourinho's unbeaten Chelsea and it could be nine by the time they welcome Everton tomorrow evening, with the league leaders visiting Newcastle in the early kick-off. For that reason, it's crucial that the Etihad outfit gain maximum points against the out-of-form Toffees.

The visitors, Roberto Martinez's Everton, have endured a difficult start to the season by their standards. Considering they finished just a couple of points off of fourth place last season, to see them sitting in 11th, having won just four games in 14 is something of a shock. Martinez is under pressure for the first time in his tenure as manager at the Merseyside club and to state the cruciality of gaining something against the champions would be a massive understatement.

City, however, look in strong form. They put in a strong performance on Wednesday night, with a crushing 4-1 win over Sunderland, with the league's top scorer Sergio Aguero grabbing another brace just a week after his hat-trick against Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Everton could only manage a home draw against a resilient Hull City on the same night.

The Toffees expect to have Antolin Alcaraz back in contention for Saturday evening's trip – but Steven Naismith, James McCarthy and Darron Gibson are again expected to miss out. Arouna Kone and Bryan Oviedo may play some part as they near full fitness, but are unexpected to start. Whilst for the home side, Manuel Pellegrini will welcome back centre-back Eliaquim Mangala who missed the game in mid-week for serving a one-match ban for a red card against Southampton. In addition, Aleksandar Kolarov and Edin Dzeko could return after overcoming calf injuries, but Stevan Jovetic will be rested.

City striker Stevan Jovetic has been waxing lyrical about his magnificent strike partner Aguero this week.

He said: "Sergio is the best player I have ever played with. He is great. He scores some goals and does it every game and for me it is [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo and then Sergio as the three best players in the world. I liked his first goal at Sunderland because when he controlled the ball it was going away from him and in the last second he did a nutmeg - and scored! Then his assist for me was great as well. He is on fire and if he is like this we can do big things."

Pablo Zabaleta, the Argentine City right-back who scored his first goal of the season against Sunderland on Wednesday night, realises that while the Evertonians will prove a stern test to his side's mental resilience, a winning performance is absolutely crucial.

He told Manchester City's official website, “Everton is always a hard team to play against and Roberto Martinez is a very good manager and he’s doing a great job, but it is important for us to take three points, especially at home, because we are six points behind Chelsea and we need to keep winning and eating away at that lead.”

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About the author
Cian Woulfe
I am a keen enthusiast in both English and Dutch football, with Chelsea and Vitesse Arnhem the object of my desires. I also have a real soft spot for Rafael Nadal.