Follow every kick as Everton take on Manchester City at Goodison Park in the Premier League
on 16-Jan-2010, kick off time 17:30
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Everton's recent revival faces a tough test on Saturday evening when fourth-placed Manchester City make the short trip to Goodison Park.
Since Roberto Mancini replaced Mark Hughes in the Eastlands hot-seat, City have won four successive games, although victories against Stoke City, Wolves, Middlesbrough and Blackburn have not come as too much of a surprise.
However, Monday's 4-1 victory against Rovers did lift City back into the top four with the in-form Carlos Tevez grabbing a hat-trick to bring his goal tally in his last seven Premier League games to ten.
That success came without Emmanuel Adebayor, who has been told he can have as much time off as he wants as he recovers from the horror of the attack on the Togo team bus last week, and Kolo Toure who remains at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
In addition, Mancini has a raft of injury problems to contend with as Robinho, Micah Richards (both groin), Roque Santa Cruz, Nedum Onuoha (both calf), Stephen Ireland (hamstring), Shaun Wright-Phillips (ankle), Joleon Lescott, Michael Johnson and Wayne Bridge (all knee) are all currently sidelined.
Everton's season has also been blighted by a lengthy injury list but their squad is slowly starting to look stronger.
Seven players - Tony Hibbert, Jack Rodwell, Dan Gosling, Sylvain Distin, Victor Anichebe, Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta - once again miss out but the Everton treatment room is finally emptying.
Joseph Yobo, Ayegbeni Yakubu are currently in Angola with the rest of the Nigeria squad as they attempt to win the Africa Cup of Nations.
Moyes' side should have beaten Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend before eventually having to settle for a 2-2 draw but there were lots of reason for optimism.
That result followed promising recent displays in the 3-3 draw at Chelsea and 2-2 draw against Tottenham and extended their recent unbeaten run in the Premier League to six matches, stretching back to the Merseyside derby defeat in November.
That sequence has left Everton only four points behind ninth-placed Fulham and a strong second half to the campaign should see them finish in a comfortable mid-table spot at worse.
Source: DSG
