Everton - Manchester City live updates

FIVE MINUTES TO KICK-OFF: Match odds Everton 3-1, City evens, Draw 11-4.

Goals have been a problem for Roberto Martinez’s side as late so they will hope that Romelu Lukaku has his shooting boots on today. Everton have failed to score in four of their last six league games.

The in-form David Silva will be a player that Everton will have to try and shackle today. He has scored five goals in his last six Premier League games.

It is vital that Everton get off to a fast start today if they to upset the odds. Everton have recovered fewer points than any other team from losing positions in the Barclays Premier League and have conceded 33 goals already this season after only letting in 39 in the whole of 2013-14. Omens not great.

Manuel Pellegrini: "There are a lot of different rumours, but I cannot be talking about all of them. We have the squad and we will create one striker more. We have a squad that must play and work in the way we normally do. They continue being very important players and we need them, but we cannot have them."

Manchester City are level with Chelsea at the top of the table with th London club top on goal difference. Everton lie 13th and a best case scenario today would see them jump above Aston Villa.

Roberto Martinez: "It worries me the number of players who got re-injured and that’s something we need to address. We need to get down to the detail of why that is happening. When you injure the right hamstring you’ve got a bigger chance of injuring the left and that pattern is worrying. We have to find out why that is happening but I’m quite confident that we will get to the bottom of it."

This looks a tall order for Everton this afternoon. They have lost six of their last eight Premier League matches and manager Roberto Martinez has faced Manchester City 11 times in the Premier League as a manager, and never been on the winning side (D1 L10).

So Sergio Aguero returns to the Manchester City bench alongside Vincent Kompany but the sides are otherwise as expected.

TEAMS: Everton: Joel, Baines, Jagielka, Stones, Coleman, Besic, Barry, McGeady, Naismith, Barkley, Lukaku. SUBS: Griffiths, Eto’o, Oviedo, Kone, Mirallas, Garbutt, Alcaraz /// Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Clichy, Fernando, Fernandinho, Navas, Silva, Nasri, Jovetic. SUBS: Caballero, Kompany, Kolarov, Aguero, Lampard, Sagna, Sinclair

Manchester City have been boosted by the return from injury of Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Vincent Komnany but key midfielder Yaya Toure is missing on African Nations Cup duty. For Everton, defenders Antolin Alcaraz and Leighton Baines return from suspension and injury but Sylvain Distin (groin) is added to the already extensive injury list which includes goalkeeper Tim Howard (calf), defender Tony Hibbert and midfielders Leon Osman (foot), Darron Gibson (knee) and Steven Pienaar (knee).