Wednesday 6th January Kickoff: 2000hrs
Everton v Manchester City v Liverpool
Football – England – League Cup
The second of the League Cup semi-finals pits Roberto Martinez’ Everton against Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City at Goodison Park. City were arguably the team that all of the other semi-finalists wished to avoid when the draw was made, last month, but they remain a team who look vulnerable and Everton will be hoping for a positive result to take into the return leg towards the end of the month, as they bid to reach their first final in this competition since 1984.
The festive period for both of these clubs could have been better with Everton taking four points from four matches, whilst City stumbled to seven points out a possible 12. It was Everton’s defence which was under scrutiny as they conceded seven goals in two home games against Leicester and Stoke, so Martinez would have been much happier with the defensive display on show against Tottenham at the weekend. For City, although they took four points from tricky looking away fixtures against Leicester and Watford, there remains a lot of doubt about how capable they are of clinching their third title in five years. Losing away to Arsenal just before Christmas as another sign that they are not at the level they have to be, but the win over Watford did bring and end to their drought on the road as it was the first time they picked three points away from home in the league since September.
The home side have required extra-time and penalties to get to this stage but they have certainly taken it seriously with the manager naming virtually full-strength teams all the way to this point. That won’t change, either, of course, as Everton prepare to face what will be just their second home game in five of this year’s League Cup. Barnsley, Reading and Middlesbrough have all been dispatched of away from home, whilst Norwich did take them all they way in front of the Goodison faithful back in October. The double-header with City is undoubtedly the biggest test to date for them, but with a potential Wembley final against rivals Liverpool or Stoke to come, the icentive is there to match the challenge.
The absence of Vincent Kompany for Manchester City has been a massive issue all season, which means a reoccurrence of his injury when making his comeback against Sunderland on Boxing Day was met with a real anxiety amongst the manager and supporters, alike. Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi have came in for a lot of criticism at the centre of a City defence who have managed to keep just three clean sheets in their last 15 league games. In terms of their progress in the League Cup, it has been virtually a stroll for Pellegrini’s men with their three games finishing 4-1, 5-1 and 4-1. The Chilean coach has already won this competition, of course, with City successful in 2014, so it’s no surprise that he has tried to take it seriously despite more pressing priorities in the League and Champions League.
Everton v Manchester City Betting Tips
These two clubs last met back in August when City ran out comfortable 2-0 winners – but that was at a time when they looked much more assured and confident in their performance. Due to the length of time between the first and second leg, team will actually play four games before they meet again in this competition, but they will also play each other at the Etihad in the Premier League before then – so there’s a good chance of them being sick of the sight of each other come the end of the month.
I anticipate both managers will play as close to a full-strength selection as possible, especially as both have winnable FA Cup fixtures at the weekend which may well see a few of the star players given a rest. On paper it looks to be an uphill struggle for Martinez and his players, but he will have taken some confidence in City’s poor form on the road.
The last time Man City reached this stage they thrashed a hapless West Ham 9-0 on aggregate, and as much as they would like a repeat of that here, I expect this tie to be very much closer. Everton might not have won as many games as they probably should have at this stage of the season, considering the chances they have passed up, but they have only lost five of their 20 league games. When you factor in City’s lack of away wins this term, then there is a strong case to be made for the home side to avoid defeat here and travel to Manchester with a real chance in three weeks time. I had considered backing Everton to edge this but due to the amount of football that has been played recently – not least the frantic 1-1 draw with Spurs on Sunday – I will err on the side of caution and take the hosts at +0.5 on the Asian Handicap, meaning we also have the draw on our side as well. It’s worth bearing in mind that this bet is the same as ‘double chance’, so if you are unable to back Asian Handicap markets with your preferred bookmaker, look for the alternative.
Everton+0.5 AH 9/10 @ Bet365
