The second round of Premier League fixtures from 2015 sees two sides that could not have had a more contrasting end to the year face off in the north of England as Everton entertain the reigning champions, Manchester City.

The two teams currently sit at either end of the form table for the previous six matches, with the hosts winless over the festive period and the visitors dropping just two points during that same run of games. Indeed, with Roberto Martinez’s men coming into the clash on the back of four straight defeats, it’s not hard to see why the Citizens are odds-on to pile further misery on Everton at 9/10.

Alarmingly for the hosts, they have only won five games with just over half the season gone – an appalling return when you consider they notched 21 victories in the 2013/2014 campaign – and they have also been incredibly porous in defence, conceding 33 goals and keeping just three clean sheets.

Manchester City, meanwhile, have been imperious of late – having taken maximum points from all but one of their last six league games – and have coped admirably in the absence of their talismanic forward, Sergio Aguero, by scoring 15 goals in the five games since the Argentine damaged his knee ligaments. Key to their continued success in that period has been the upturn in form of midfielders Yaya Toure and David Silva, but with the former having departed for the African Cup of Nations, it is likely that two-goal F.A. Cup hero James Milner will get the nod behind the fit-again Stevan Jovetic.

The England international therefore represents a good spot of value at 19/2 to notch the first goal of the game and is preferable to Jovetic at shorter odds of 11/2. In fact, those looking to back the Montenegrin striker are perhaps better off looking at the 8/1 on him scoring two or more goals in the game – something which looks fairly plausible given City’s form and Everton’s defensive woes.

Furthermore, with the visitors scoring an average of three goals a game since Aguero’s injury and the Toffees conceding exactly two strikes a game in that period, the 31/40 on there being over 2.5 goals in this one looks to be the lock of the weekend – especially when you also consider that the likes of Sunderland, Burnley and West Brom have all breached City’s back-line at least once in recent weeks.