Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero will be crucial to Manchester City's plans against Everton Getty

Manchester City host Everton at the Etihad on Wednesday 27 January as the Citizens look to progress into the finals of the Capital One Cup. Manuel Pellegrini's men are trailing the fixture 2-1, having lost at the Goodison when the two met in the first leg.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 7:45pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

Overview

Manchester City have all to play for at the Etihad, in a game which can have massive repercussions in the title race. Failure to progress may come as a major blow to their confidence, which can transmit into their league and European campaign, something that is imperative for Pellegrini, given he has an axe hanging on his neck come the end of the campaign.

Ramiro Funes Mori had given Everton the lead at the stroke of half-time while Jesus Navas scored his first goal this season to assume parity in the second period. However, Romelu Lukaku headed home in the second half to seal the contest and taking an advantage into the Etihad after an ostensibly disappointing year thus far for Roberto Martinez's men in the league.

Everton come here on the back of a 2-1 loss to relegation battlers Swansea City last weekend. The Toffees had 20 shots on the Swansea goal but failed to hit the target consistently to create any problems, something that has been adversely affecting their results in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, City came back from a losing position against West Ham twice to draw the contest with Sergio Aguero scoring both goals to pull them out of jail. The win kept them in second position, ahead of Arsenal who lost to Chelsea, but need a much better performance against Everton at the Etihad to progress into the finals. The duo played out a stalemate when they met in the league, which will be a welcome result for Everton at this point.

What managers say

Manuel Pellegrini: "It is the third time we are going to play against Everton in a month, so we know all about their team. We know the way they play and their important players. But our performance is more important in trying to decide this semi-final at home. It is as important for us as it is them, it is important to play in the final at Wembley. Maybe Everton, who have not been in a final in many years, will be more motivated but I am sure our team will do all they can to play the final. One of the most important things is to reflect desire, a desire to play another final at Wembley."

Roberto Martinez: "[On the fact that a clean sheet here will take them to the finals] My philosophy and my way of working is not to keep clean sheets, my philosophy is to win games. It's a very general assessment to say we don't defend well. If you look at our defensive record away from home this season and our record at home, it's completely the opposite. That doesn't mean we play in a different manner away from home — we've got the same personnel, the same way of playing – so there are aspects that are affecting the manner of goals we are conceding."

Betting odds (888Sport)

  • Manchester City Win: 11/21
  • Draw: 31/4
  • Everton Win: 21/4

Team News

Manchester City

Possible XI: Howard; Coleman, Stones, Funes Mori, Baines; Cleverley, Barry; Deulofeu, Barkley, Kone; Lukaku

Everton

Possible XI: Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero

Manchester City FC