Man City v Everton: Team news published at 13:59 BST
13:59 BST
Manchester City make three changes to the side that beat Brentford before the international break.
Nico Gonzalez comes into the midfielder to replace Rodri, while Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku also start.
Josko Gvardiol and Oscar Bobb both drop to a very strong looking bench for Pep Guardiola.
Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Mateo Kovacic have all returned from injury and are available as substitutes today.
Man City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Ake, O'Reilly, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Savinho, Haaland.
Everton boss David Moyes also makes three changes following their last-gasp win over Crystal Palace last time out.
Jack Grealish is ineligible to face his parent club so Carlos Alcaraz gets a start, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is back in the starting line-up following a one-game suspension in place of Tyler Dibling.
Beto starts up front, replacing Thierno Barry, who is yet to score for the Toffees since his big money summer move from Villarreal.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Arsenal", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Man City v Evertonpublished at 11:07 BST
11:07 BST
What a joke it is that Jack Grealish cannot play for Everton against his parent club.
The City fans would love to welcome Grealish back like they did Kevin de Bruyne with Napoli a few weeks ago, and he would have had a point to prove against Pep Guardiola. City were happy for him to leave on loan, so why shouldn't he play against them?
Grealish has been a revelation for Everton and is a big reason they have been more expansive this season. Without him, I am just expecting them to stay deep and defend in numbers.
They will still try to get in behind City on the break and try to make the most of the home side's high line, but Grealish would have improved their chances of getting something here and the fact he is not playing has upset me.
Everton might still get some chances but the big question for everyone playing City at the moment is how do you stop Erling Haaland - and I am not sure they will have the answer.
Man City v Everton: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:43 BST 17 October
19:43 BST 17 October
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
Manchester City will aim to keep pace with leaders Arsenal against an Everton side who have not won a Premier League game at Etihad Stadium in 15 years.
BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's meeting.
In-form City
Manchester City have an excellent record in this fixture and on their best run of league form of the season so far.
Pep Guardiola's side are unbeaten in the past 16 Premier League meetings with the Toffees and have won three of their past four league fixtures (D1).
City's most recent win - at Brentford before the international break - was Guardiola's 250th victory as a manager in the Premier League.
He achieved the feat in just 349 matches, the fewest of any manager to reach this milestone and in 55 fewer games than former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who is second on the list.
David Moyes, in fourth, required 296 more matches.
City's tactical tweak
After winning at Gtech Community Stadium, Guardiola said he would invite all the other managers to have won 250 Premier League matches to dinner.
One topic of discussion may have been the 54-year-old's tweak in tactics this season, which mean his side have had the lowest average possession and lowest number of passes per game of any team he has managed in his top-flight career.
Should the hamstring injury sustained by Rodri early on at Brentford rule him out of facing Everton, further tailoring of City's approach may be needed - because since Rodri's debut in 2021-22, City have lost 14 of 48 league matches without the midfielder.
Grealish out for Everton
While Everton may take some confidence from any potential absence, they will be missing their own talisman in Manchester.
Jack Grealish, who moved on loan to Merseyside from the Etihad this summer, is ineligible to face his parent club, meaning Moyes must do without the Premier League's joint-top assist-maker this season as he attempts to arrest a run of eight defeats against City with West Ham,Sunderland and Manchester United.
Moyes last avoided defeat at the Etihad with Everton in December 2012, while the Toffees' last Premier League win at City came 15 years ago during Moyes' first spell in charge.
The return of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from suspension will partly offset the loss of Grealish, although Everton may need more output from their centre-forwards if they are to get a result this weekend.
Beto and Thierno Barry have scored just once in 14 Premier League appearances combined so far in this campaign – the sharpest of contrasts to home favourite Erling Haaland.
City's number nine has already scored nine goals in just seven Premier League outings and another goal against Everton would result in only the third instance of a Premier League player reaching 10 goals in a side's first eight games of a season - and Haaland himself has been responsible for the other two.
Guardiola on Rodri, 'best version' of Haaland & Grealishpublished at 13:27 BST 17 October
13:27 BST 17 October
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Everton at Etihad Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Guardiola confirmed Rodri who will not be ready for tomorrow, and added: "I don't know when he will be back".
Fellow midfielder Mateo Kovacic can play "maybe 50 or 60 minutes", stressing the importance that he returns step by step.
Elsewhere in the squad, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are both close to a return.
He said that Jack Grealish's impact on loan at Everton has been "massive," noting his forward is "back to real business" on Merseyside. He added that he spoke with Grealish as he left City, but has not spoken to him since.
He also said that this is the "best shape" he has seen Erling Haaland in: "His performance levels are outstanding. But you cannot sustain this level always. When he is going to drop, we will be there. We just have to sustain his levels."
On whether he is ready for a break from management: "In 2035, I will start to think about it."
More on the longevity of the Man City project: "We are not the same from when we started and there are many reasons for it. The relationship I have with the club officials is so, so close. It's not just about me - you know many people including my backroom staff have left. Everyone has their preferences and desires. But now I am still here in front of you."
Finally, he is encouraged by the performances City have put in so far during 2025-26: "I see things that we are doing much better than last season and in every game, we are a little bit better. There is the margin that we can do better in many aspects and that gives me the energy that it's not job done. It's completely unfinished business. That's why I am here."
What's on the agenda for Guardiola?published at 11:46 BST 17 October
11:46 BST 17 October
Shamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City have been ticking along nicely and stretched their unbeaten run to seven games with victory at Brentford before the international fixtures, so the break probably came at the wrong time for them.
Pep Guardiola will want his side to continue their momentum when they host Everton on Saturday, knowing they could climb up to second place if results go their way.
Star striker Erling Haaland scored another hat-trick for Norway to extend his blistering scoring run so far, netting in 10 straight games for club and country.
Guardiola though may be concerned about the injury suffered by Rodri and he will reveal how long the Spain midfielder is out for when he faces the cameras this lunchtime.
'Next fixtures may determine how the new-look City are shaping up'published at 14:17 BST 16 October
14:17 BST 16 October
Shamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten run across their next seven games in three competitions before the November international break.
It was at the end of October when the wheels well and truly fell off for City last season, winning only one of 13 games and losing nine in the process.
Boss Pep Guardiola has said his side need to be in the top four come the turn of the year so they can push on for a title tilt during the run-in. The next set of fixtures may well determine how the new-look squad is shaping up and in which direction they are heading.
Victories against Villarreal and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League would go a long way to sealing a top-eight spot in the group phase, while they also have a trip to Championship side Swansea in the Carabao Cup.
But the Premier League is the bread and butter and City have four testing games facing Everton, Aston Villa and Bournemouth before a huge clash against Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on 9 November.
Beating the Reds will provide confidence to City's youngsters that they can go on to achieve great things this season.
City and Palace boast best attacks so far while Brentford confusepublished at 11:14 BST 16 October
11:14 BST 16 October
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
Looking at Premier League teams' attacks specifically in the graphic below, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have taken by far the most shots, averaging about 15 per game.
But the reason why Manchester City and Crystal Palace have the best attacks overall is because they are creating much better chances, averaging about 0.14 xG per shot.
What that means is that historically Premier League sides have converted the chances City and Palace are creating at a rate of 14%, compared to 10% of the shots that United, Arsenal and Liverpool are.
Brentford are a strange side because while they are averaging just eight shots per game, the quality of those chances has been so high that their attack still ranks mid-table overall.
Nine Premier League players on Golden Boy shortlistpublished at 10:41 BST 16 October
10:41 BST 16 October
Image source, Getty Images
The 25-player shortlist for the Golden Boy award was revealed on Wednesday, with nine players from the Premier League selected.
The award, created by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, is given to the best under-21 footballer each year, with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal last year's winner.
For a player to be considered for selection in 2025, they must have been born on or after 1 January 2005 and belong to a squad in one of Uefa's top 25 leagues.
Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have both been selected after their breakthrough seasons in 2024-25.
Lewis-Skelly played 40 times across all competitions and also made his England senior debut, while Nwaneri appeared 37 times and scored nine goals.
Chelsea are represented twice, with summer arrivals Estevao, who scored his first goal for the club with a dramatic late winner against Liverpool before the international break, and defender Jorrel Hato making the shortlist.
Tottenham Hotspur also feature, with midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray being chosen.
Manchester United defender Leny Yoro, Manchester City full-back Nico O'Reilly and Liverpool centre half Giovanni Leoni - a wildcard choice - have also been selected.
An international jury of 50 journalists will decide the winner, which will be revealed at a news conference in November.
What expected goals tell us about the start to the Premier League seasonpublished at 09:04 BST 16 October
09:04 BST 16 October
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.
Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.
Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.
Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.
Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.
High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.
Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.
Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.
While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.
'Never rule a player of Foden's quality out but he has a fight on his hands' published at 16:02 BST 15 October
16:02 BST 15 October
Phil McNulty Chief football writer
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City's brilliant 25-year-old Phil Foden was, along with Jude Bellingham, a stand-out exclusion from Thomas Tuchel's squad for the friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia in Riga.
Foden, who has won two caps under Tuchel, has been rebuilding form and confidence with an excellent start to the season after a poor campaign last term.
And he will do all this with his sights set on the World Cup.
He was a permanent fixture in Sir Gareth Southgate's plans up to Euro 2024, but getting Foden and Bellingham in the same team was often a struggle and never felt like a neat fit at the time, with the former often out on the left rather than his preferred central role.
No-one, least of all Tuchel, can ignore Foden's talent, but he must continue to impress to reclaim what was once an automatic place in England's squad.
Like Cole Palmer, Foden operates in what is now a congested place under Tuchel, whether it is in the centre or pushed out wide.
Never rule a player of Foden's quality out, but he has a fight on his hands to make England's World Cup squad.
Should Man City be in the race for Wharton?published at 12:14 BST 15 October
12:14 BST 15 October
Image source, Getty Images
In the second part of Wednesday's Q&A with BBC Sport's Manchester City reporter Shamoon Hafez, we look at a potential transfer target and the impact of Nico O'Reilly.
Simon asked: Do you think, like I do, we should be in the race for Adam Wharton? Regardless of what happens with Rodri, he would be a fantastic addition to our team and would learn from the master at the same time?
Shamoon answered: Wharton is, no doubt, a fantastic footballer but Crystal Palace supporters won't be happy with you trying to sell him!
That said, he is technically gifted and a brilliant passer of the ball, and will surely make a move to a 'bigger' club one day.
That may prove to be too good to turn down, but would he want to leave Palace at this stage in his career?
He is still only 21 years old and the example of Kalvin Phillips may sound some alarm bells - a transfer doesn't always work out.
Andrew asked: I very much like the look of Nico O'Reilly as the apprentice to Rodri - he is athletic, tall, a ball player and not afraid of a tackle. John Stones could also step in well once we have enough fit centre-backs. Thoughts?
Shamoon answered: I am a big fan of O'Reilly and he has performed admirably in the unfamiliar left-back role. - so much so, it has earned him a call-up to the England squad. What an incredible achievement for the 20-year-old.
However, the number six position needs a specialist, having the discipline and nous to read the game and be one step ahead of opponents.
Rodri does that better than anyone and it earned him the Ballon d'Or. Would O'Reilly be able to do the same? With his attacking instincts and tendencies to roam forward at every opportunity, I am not so sure.
Scroll down this page for the other part of the Q&A.
How do Man City avoid conceding late goals?published at 09:18 BST 15 October
09:18 BST 15 October
Image source, Getty Images
On Wednesday, BBC Sport's Manchester City reporter Shamoon Hafez will be answering a selection of the questions you have sent in.
First up, he looks at issues around tactics and mentality at the end of games.
Arjun asked: What do City need to do to avoid late goals being scored against them?
Shamoon answered: It is purely lapses in concentration rather than being anything terminal.
The backline were caught out high for Gabriel Martinelli's equaliser for Arsenal, while a rash challenge from Nico Gonzalez allowed Eric Dier to score from the penalty spot at Monaco.
But City have dropped three points in the Premier League after conceding in the 89th minute or later and a further two in the Champions League. They cannot afford to keep doing that if they are to achieve success this season.
Jotham asked: With Rodri injured for now, do you think that the team will benefit or suffer from having González, despite him not fully settling into the pace of the Premier League?
Shamoon answered: It has been a slow burner for Nico Gonzalez's Manchester City career so far but, given Rodri's injury and 17 games still to be played in three different competitions between now and the end of the year, boss Pep Guardiola will have no choice but to use Nico.
He put a steady performance in the gritty win at Brentford before the international break, but probably needs to impose himself more in matches. Can he grab games by the scruff of the neck and act as the catalyst to drive the team forward?
Rodri's injury issues are becoming a real worry now. City have tried to be careful with his reintegration back into the first team but he broke down once again at the Gtech.
At 29 years old, can his body hold up and help him rediscover the form that led him to the award for the best player in the world?
Come back later on Wednesday for Shamoon's thoughts on potential transfer targets.
Did De Bruyne leave City a year too early?published at 17:51 BST 14 October
17:51 BST 14 October
Jordan Butler BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
"Legendary", "pure class" and "on another level" are just some of the terms used to describe Kevin de Bruyne this week.
The Belgian is enjoying one of his best starts to a season since moving to Napoli on a free transfer this summer which begs the question, did he leave Manchester City a year too early?
The exodus of senior City players in the past year has been well documented, with the likes of Ederson, Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Kyle Walker all leaving for pastures new.
De Bruyne was also deemed surplus to requirements - despite 16 trophies and more than 400 appearances - and the midfielder, reluctant to leave, joined Napoli when his contract expired in June.
"I was a bit surprised but I just have to accept it," said De Bruyne back in April. "Honestly, I still think I can perform at this level like I'm showing, but I understand clubs have to make decisions."
It turns out the 34-year-old was correct in his self-assessment.
De Bruyne has begun 2025-26 in sparkling form and has 11 goal involvements in 12 appearances for club and country this season, with three assists and eight goals.
It represents his best goalscoring start to a campaign and only twice before has he registered more goal contributions in his opening 12 games, in 2023-24 and 2019-20.
Manchester City, meanwhile, have made a strong but not spectacular start to the campaign on all fronts, with six wins, two draws and two defeats from their opening 10 fixtures.
De Bruyne's start to 2025-26 suggests he could still have been a key figure in Pep Guardiola's squad and, when compared to City's current crop of midfielders and wingers, only his compatriot Jeremy Doku comes close to his return of goals and assists.
De Bruyne also appears to be fully fit, having struggled to maintain his fitness towards the end of his time in the Premier League.
He made only 34 league starts across the past two seasons with City but has already started five of Napoli's six Serie A matches, appearing from the bench in the other.
"I feel good," he said of his start in Italy. "I'm playing a lot and I'm in good shape."
Why left-back is O'Reilly's position to losepublished at 12:30 BST 14 October
12:30 BST 14 October
Freddie Pye Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
When Rayan Ait-Nouri arrived in a big-money deal from Wolves prior to the Club World Cup, the scenario was simple: the Algeria international would immediately become Pep Guardiola's new first-choice left-back.
In 2024-25, both Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly had impressed there at various times, but the signing of a new natural option would enable the former to play at centre-back and the latter to perhaps gain more opportunities in midfield.
However, an injury to Ait-Nouri in the third game of the season presented O'Reilly with an even greater opportunity to shine at left-back, and came at a time when he was also celebrating a new long-term contract until 2030.
The 20-year-old is tactically aware, brave in possession and has the physicality to compete in shoulder-to-shoulder duels and aerial battles. Alongside this, he retains both attacking finesse and defensive awareness, having come through the academy as a box-to-box midfielder.
Perhaps the best reflection of the defensive strength that O'Reilly has brought is shown by the statistic that Pep Guardiola's side are yet to lose a single Premier League match where he has started.
Given he has now received his first call-up to Thomas Tuchel's England squad, there is certainly work to be done for Ait-Nouri to regain his place and many would say the position is the Englishman's to lose.
Given the hectic nature of Manchester City's forthcoming fixture list, both players will undoubtedly get their fair share of minutes, but the real question is who will be preferred when bigger contests arrive?
For now, my money is on O'Reilly. That challenge could bring the best out of Ait-Nouri as he builds up his fitness and tries to establish himself once more, after a promising start.
Gossip: Man City target Brown will not be available in Januarypublished at 07:13 BST 14 October
07:13 BST 14 October
Manchester City, Arsenal and Real Madrid are among the clubs interested in signing 22-year-old Germany defender Nathaniel Brown from Eintracht Frankfurt, but the Bundesliga club will not listen to offers until next summer. (Bild - in German), external
Send your questions to our Man City reporterpublished at 14:12 BST 13 October
14:12 BST 13 October
Even though we are in the middle of the international break, there is still plenty to talk about at Manchester City.
The Blues are unbeaten since losing two of their first three Premier League matches and sit just three points below league leaders Arsenal. They have seven matches to play across three competitions before the next international break in November, which finishes with a match against champions Liverpool.
Do you have a burning question on tactics, player contracts, the upcoming transfer window or anything else? BBC Sport's Manchester City reporter Shamoon Hafez will be answering a selection later this week.
Golden Boot-chasing Haaland's on firepublished at 11:23 BST 13 October
11:23 BST 13 October
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Manchester City's Erling Haaland has taken 29 shots in the Premier League so far this season, 12 more than any other player.
That is actually not that remarkable for him - he had actually taken more non-penalty shots at this point in the past two campaigns (30 in 2023-24 and 34 in 2024-25).
However, what is unprecedented - even for him - is the quality of chances he has had this term. His shots have had a xG (expected goals) value of 0.27 on average.
What that figure means is that players have historically converted the shots he has had at a rate of 27%.
Of players to take at least 10 shots, only Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has had easier chances to score on average - thanks to a couple of tap-ins against West Ham and Brighton.
Haaland's xG of 0.27 is much higher than the 0.17 xG per shot he had at the start of last season.
In short, the chances he has had in 2025-26 have been notably easier to score from in a reorganised City team than those at the beginning of last season.