A few players missing on both sides

It seems like we’ve been ‘on the road’ a heck of a lot in recent weeks and a quick look back confirms that very feeling; having played 7 of the last 10 fixtures away from M11.

It seems only fitting in order to redress the balance, therefore, that this Sunday’s game is the first of three, back-to-back home games and that usually, or at least should, come with a sense of added optimism.

Personally, I am feeling positive…but, home-fixture wise at least, I’m still sort of plagued by the league defeat to Crystal Palace; a blow that came just 42 days after we registered a home, 0-0’er in the league also against Southampton.

I don’t think I’ll be alone in-wanting us to put those ‘home ghosts of recent past’ to bed with a good win on Sunday afternoon (2:00pm KO GMT)…

v Everton

Etihad Stadium

Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:

(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 10/11).

Fluid 4-1-5-0 / 4-6-0 / 4-3-3:

______________________________________________

 

Sterling______________Jesus______________Mahrez

 

_________Gundogan______________Silva__________

 

_____________________Rodri____________________

Cancelo_________________________________Walker

 

___________Laporte____________Stones__________

 

 

____________________Ederson___________________

Subs: Steffen, Zinchenko, Ake, Dias, Fernandinho, Lavia, Edozie, Foden, Delap.

A few missing personnel and at least one ‘50/50 doubt’ makes predicting a 20-man, match-day squad even more difficult; not least trying to guess which EDS players might be included after they had a league fixture of their own in our country’s capital just the day before.

Ederson in net is the easiest one to forecast.

Similarly, I don’t think there’s a doubt about who our left & right-wing backs will be – Joao & Kyle – but there has been some debate in recent days about who might ‘get the nod’ in the middle of our defence. With some reports suggesting that both Stones & Laporte had more productive international breaks than Dias; other articles have pointed to the fact that Ruben has played more Manchester City minutes than his central defensive colleagues and that his manager may want to rest / not risk the Portuguese international ahead of our Champions League clash with PSG on Wednesday night. All of that weighed up, I am indeed going for a partnership of Aymeric & John tomorrow afternoon.

Rodders is the deeper-lying midfielder with a fluid, interchangeable, attacking 5 of Raheem, Ilkay, Gabriel, Bernardo & Riyad ahead of the Spaniard.

Zack is the reserve stopper; Oleksandr, Nathan & Ruben the defensive replacement options from the side. My best guess is that regulars Fernandinho & Phil, who might not be risked for the whole game following a midweek knock, will be joined by Romeo, Samuel & Liam as midfield / wing / attacking reserves in ‘the 9’.

Update - 21.11.2021: I've been informed that both Samuel Edozie & Liam Delap are out with long-term injures. Therefore, feel free to pick any other EDS players to slot in there...although our manager might not go with his full quota on the bench; something he has done before.

Notable absences:

-       Benjamin Mendy – Suspended by the club until further notice.

-       Jack Grealish – Recovering from ‘a knock’ and is unlikely to play in this fixture.

-       Kevin De Bruyne – Out with Covid-19 with a 10-day “isolation countdown” starting from 17.11.2021; whilst assuming also, after that, that he doesn’t suffer any after effects…

-       Ferran Torres – Out with a foot injury until around Christmas time.

Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?

Possibly resting Dias aside; of the players deemed 100% fit to start, I’d have to say that’s about our strongest available 11 and, so, yes.

I’ve always got doubts about which Riyad Mahrez we’re gonna see on the day and, of course, Raheem Sterling has been out of form for his club side, at least, for about 12 months now (some would say longer but I disagree and recall his good, start-of-season form last year). Therefore, if both players don’t perform well, then our visitors might be in for a slightly easier time of it than they would perhaps otherwise…and it’ll be, therefore, up to our more-central attackers to provide ‘the threat’.

But, as I say, ‘on paper’ that’s a very good side indeed and ‘fingers crossed’ they all perform well.

Result? Everton are having a fairly tough time of it recently; with a real dip in form after their season got off to a really good start. In ‘days of old’ – and long-serving Blues will know all too well what I mean here - this is the sort of game where we would often give a struggling side ‘lift up’ by suffering a “shock defeat”.

In fact, added to the often-uncertainty of how we (and other sides) respond following an international break, it did cross my mind the other day that we could be looking at that very scenario; especially against a side that has been known to ‘give us a bloody nose or two’.

However, they too are suffering quite a number of injuries to key personnel which is, no doubt, contributing to their current plight.

We might wobble in this match and / or we might struggle to break ‘em down for a time but I’m going for a home win in the end.

Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result…

Prediction: Win

Result: Won

(There was no pre-match blog posting for that game due to being away on holiday)

Expected weather conditions during the game: Crisp, sunny, chilly. Sky blue skies with some white, fluffy clouds will add to the ‘blue & white’ home fixture theme and fans might want to wrap up warm for it, as a brisk, northly wind whips over the stadium; making the official, mere-6C temperature, feel more like 2 or 3C, I’m sure. Beautiful British weather for a mid-November fixture, I would say.

In case you missed it, here's my recent piece on my assessment of our season so far.