Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling on the Wings, Ilkay Gundogan Back in Midfield - Predicted XI - Man City vs Everton (Premier League)

Pep Guardiola’s men went into the international break with a 2-0 controlled destruction of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Now, the Blues are now back in action after what feels like an eternity, as they host Everton on Sunday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium. 

City did a double over the Toffee's last season, scoring seven without conceding.

Everton have failed to win any of their last five Premier League games, losing heavily against newly-promoted Watford, Wolves, and West Ham. Rafa Benitez finds his side 11th in the Premier League table after as many games.

Ahead of the game on November 21, here is how we expect Manchester City to line up against Everton.

Team News

Pep Guardiola has confirmed Kevin De Bruyne tested positive for COVID-19 whilst on international duty, so he'll be unavailable for the next 10 days.

Jack Grealish is also missing for this one, whilst Phil Foden is available for selection despite returning from England duty with a 'knock to his leg'.

Ferran Torres has stepped up his recovery, but will still be missing for a long time.

Predicted Team

Ederson, who did not feature for Brazil in the recently concluded international break, undoubtedly comes back in between the sticks.

In defence, Ruben Dias and John Stones are expected to return to the starting eleven after a strong defensive display in the Manchester derby. 

The pendulum seems to have swung in Stones’ direction after a couple of shaky performances from his colleague, Aymeric Laporte.

Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo played 90 minutes each for their respective national teams and are set to start on either side of the back four.

We expect Rodrigo to start in central midfield. The Spaniard has been phenomenal for the Blues this season and Pep Guardiola will undoubtedly turn to him for yet another string of tricky fixtures.

Bernardo Silva returns to action after a difficult time with the Portuguese national team. With Kevin De Bruyne missing out, we expect Ilkay Gundogan to start on the left side of City’s midfield.

Jack Grealish's injury and Phil Foden’s slight knock means Raheem Sterling is likely to start this game on the left, with Riyad Mahrez set to start in his usual right-wing position.

We expect Gabriel Jesus to start down the middle in a striker’s capacity. 

The 24-year-old was brilliant against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the right-wing, but the lack of personnel upfront means the Brazilian is likely to return to the number nine role.

Predicted XI: Ederson; Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, John Stones; Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan; Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus.

Substitutes: Zack Steffen, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, James McAtee.