Wayne Rooney isn't waiting long before he returns to Manchester. Of course, the former Manchester United striker isn't going to be welcomed back to the city he spent much of his career in with open arms, especially since he was always a villain to Manchester City. The Citizens will hope to send Rooney and his Everton side packing in the first match of the year at the Etihad to wrap up EPL Match Day 2.
Don't miss the BPL action from Etihad Stadium at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, August 21, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on NBC Sports Network.
Opening Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester City -322
Everton +800
Draw +425
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
The price on Manchester City might be a tad ridiculous at this point. The Citizens are -322 favorites at home and are bordering one two-goal favorites on the Asian Handicap. Sure, this is the best team in the Premier League this year at the moment, but that's a big price against a team that thinks it's going to challenge for a top four spot this year.
Everton can be had at a price of 8 to 1 on the moneyline.
The total is relatively high at 3 with -125 vig on the over.
Key Injuries
Ross Barkley's season is off to a rocky start for Everton. He has yet to get on the pitch thanks to a hamstring problem that will keep him off for this one as well. Gareth Barry is hoping to get back on the pitch after sitting out the opener with an ankle injury, while the same could be said for Aaron Lennon. James McCarthy's balky knee will probably keep him out of the lineup for this match as well.
It's entirely possible that Manchester City is going to be at 100 percent in this matchup on the health front. Benjamin Mendy and Ilkay Gundogan both missed out on the opening fixture of the year against Brighton, but both are going to be back sooner rather than later, perhaps as early as this one.
Recent Form
Pep Guardiola will tell you that Manchester City wasn't at its best when it played against Brighton in its first fixture of the year. Tis true that, in more important fixtures against the teams at the top of the table, perhaps the Citizens would have conceded once or twice and might not have won that match. But the result was what was important, and at 2-0, it's hard to argue with any of that.
Rooney was the man of the hour at Goodison Park against Stoke City to kick off the campaign. The Toffees weren't great in the 1-0 victory, but it was a moment of brilliance from the returning prodigal son that made the difference just before halftime.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This Manchester United team looks to us like it's going to win the Premier League title this year. Sergio Aguero seems to be back in tip top form after struggling for much of last season, and pairing him with Gabriel Jesus up front seems to be the perfect answer to keep him at the top of his game.
Fernandinho, too, looked like a new man at the age of 32. An offseason for him to get him back in good health has him playing at a high level to kick off 2017-18.
There are questions at the back for sure still, but getting Mendy back should help that in time.
Everton is a side that can make this match a nightmare for the Citizens, though. We'll take the ball and a half in spite of the fact that we think City will ultimately take the three points.
BPL Odds: Manchester City 2, Everton 1
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