Ake, Doku and Nico return for Everton clash | OneFootball

Nathan Ake, Nico and Jeremy Doku all return to the starting line-up as City make three changes for Saturday’s Premier League clash at home to Everton.

From the side that won 1-0 at Brentford last time out prior to the October international break, Josko Gvardiol and Oscar Bobb both revert to the bench while Rodri is not fit for selection.

Both Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki make a welcome return to the matchday squad after lengthy injury lay-offs with the pair named on the bench.

Cherki has been out since late August with a muscular problem while Marmoush picked up a knee injury on international duty with Egypt in September.

Teams

CITY XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias (C), Ake, O’Reilly, Nico, Reijnders, Savinho, Foden, Doku, Haaland

Subs: Trafford, Stones, Marmoush, Kovacic, Cherki, Bernardo, Gvardiol, Bobb, Lewis

EVERTON XI: Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski (C), Keane, Mykolenko, Gana, Garner, Alcaraz, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Beto

Subs: Travers, King, McNeil, Barry, Dibling, Coleman, Rohl, Aznou, Iroegbunam

Tactics

Gianluigi Donnarumma will be the familiar figure in goal and protected by a back four of Matheus Nunes, skipper Ruben Dias, Ake and Nico O’Reilly.

Nico is set to be the holding midfielder with Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden also in the City engine room.

Erling Haaland will be City’s attacking focal point with Doku and Savinho providing the width up front.

However, as always, such is the tactical flexibility within Pep’s squad that could be liable to change as the game develops!

Hotshot Haaland

Even by his own remarkable standards, Erling Haaland has made a quite extraordinary start to the 2025/26 campaign.

So much so that our Norwegian striker will go into today’s game having scored in his previous 10 competitive outings for club and country.

WATCH: Competition for places is important - Pep

A hat-trick for Norway in last weekend’s World Cup qualifier against Israel took Haaland’s overall tally for the season to a staggering 21 goals from just 12 games.

Voted the Premier League Player of the Month for September, the 25-year-old will now be seeking to further extend what has been a quite magnificent run of form.

And given his record-breaking exploits few would bet against him!

Running free

City will this afternoon also be seeking to further extend what has become a superb Premier League record against the Toffees.

Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in our last 16 Premier League meetings with Everton.

City boast a formidable run of 13 wins and three draws since we were last beaten in the league by the Merseysiders - a 0-4 defeat at Goodison Park in January 2017.

Only against Fulham (20), West Brom (19), and West Ham (19) do City boast a longer unbeaten run in the competition.

That said it promises to be a tough test against David Moyes' side who have made a fine fist of things so far this season.

WATCH: Erling Haaland: Who assisted me?

Stats and facts

• Everton are winless in their last 14 away Premier League games against City (D6 L8) since a 2-1 victory in December 2010 during David Moyes’ first spell in charge. Only at Manchester United (20), Liverpool (20), Arsenal (24), and Chelsea (30) have they ever had longer winless away runs in the competition.

• Under David Moyes, Everton have never won a Premier League away game against a side that finished the previous season in the division’s top three (P36 D12 L24). Indeed, Moyes has won just one of 58 such games in the competition with all his clubs (D14 L43), beating Arsenal 2-0 with West Ham in December 2023.

• In 2025, City are averaging more points-per-game in the Premier League than any other side (2.04 – 53 in 26). They are the league’s top scorers this calendar year (55 goals), and have picked up the joint-most wins (16, level with Liverpool).

• Everton have won six of their last 10 Premier League games (D2 L2), as many as their previous 27 beforehand (D13 L8). The Toffees have also won four of their last seven away league matches (L3), after having only won three of their previous 26 prior to this (D10 L13).

• City have won seven of their last eight Premier League home games, losing the other 0-2 against Tottenham Hotspur in August. The Citizens have won their last two at the Etihad by a 3+ goal margin, last doing so three times in a row in May 2024.

• City are averaging 57.6% possession and making 541 passes per game in the Premier League this season – these are the lowest figures by a Pep Guardiola side in any of the Spaniard’s seasons as a top-flight manager with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the Citizens.

• David Moyes has lost each of his last eight Premier League away games against City across spells with Manchester United (1 game), Sunderland (1), and West Ham (6), last avoiding defeat at the Etihad with current side Everton in December 2012. Only against Liverpool (ongoing run of 10) has Moyes ever endured a longer losing run away from home against any side in the competition.

• Erling Haaland has scored nine goals in City’s seven Premier League games this season; a goal here will make this only the third instance of a player reaching 10+ goals in a side’s first eight games of a season in the competition, with the Norwegian himself already responsible for the first two (6th game in 2022-23, 5th game in 2024-25).