Man City vs Everton preview

By Rhys Lewis
October 2 2005

Everton travel to Eastlands for the earliest Premiership kick off ever with a severe injury crisis. The game kicks off at 11.15am and are missing 8, possibly 9 players.

In what is already a very small squad David Moyes has to cope without several key figures for the match. He is without long term casualties Gary Naysmith, Sandro Pistone and Lee Carsley, along with the already injured Per Kroldrup, Andy van der Meyde, James Vaughan. And the list was added to on Thursday with Tony Hibbert picking up a knee injury and Mikel Arteta is also out after the horrific challenge he recieved late on in the game. Simon Davies is also a doubt with an ankle injury that forced him out of the 1-0 victory over Dinamo Bucharest and James McFadden has a slight groin strain but there is a chance both might play.

Everton won this fixture last season 1-0 thanks to Tim Cahill's first goal for Everton, shortly before being sent off. It was the match that showed how much things had changed at Everton because only a few months earlier Everton had travelled to the City of Manchester stadium and lost 5-1. Everton will be hoping for another 1-0 to finally get their season going having lost 5 or the 6 games and only socring 1 goal.

In the last 8 games between these 2 teams at Manchester City their have been no draws with Manchester City winning 5 and Everton winning 3.

Everton from; Martyn, Ferrari, Yobo, Weir, Valente, Neville, McFadden, Osman, Li Tie, Kilbane, Cahill, Wright, Bent, Beattie, Wilson, Davies, Hughes, Anichebe.