Everton host Manchester City at Goodison Park tonight and they will be looking to get a result to move back up the Premier League table.
As it stands, Everton sits in ninth position, five points off Wolverhampton Wanderers in seventh. If they are able to dispossess Wolves in that position by the end of the season, depending on the results of other competitions, European football is still a possibility for the Toffees.
The task at hand is Manchester City, who desperately need the win to strengthen their title pursuit. But, City could struggle to be at their best given that this fixture is wedged in between their home games against Arsenal and Chelsea.
With that being said, if Everton are to truly test City tonight, this pair must start…
Ademola Lookman
Lookman has bided his time for opportunities this season and had started four of the first five League games of the New Year. However, he has only made one substitute appearance from the last two games.
If there was any game he should start, it should be this one. Given City’s current left-back situation where no one is sure whether Pep Guardiola will go with Benjamin Mendy, Danilo, Fabian Delph or even Oleksandr Zinchenko in the role, Lookman should be trusted to get the better of all of them.
The 21-year-old’s movement and footwork could prove to be too much to deal with out on the right-wing and he could be the one to cause City lots of problems.
He does have a history for performing against City, so who knows?
Richarlison
If Lookman is to start on the right and Bernard to start on the left, Richarlison should return to his role up top against City.
Cenk Tosun has started there in the last two League games with the Brazillian out wide, however, he has not been as impactful as Marco Silva would have hoped.
As Richarlison is arguably Everton’s biggest attacking threat in the final third, he should be trusted up top to make the evening very hard work for City’s centre-backs.
