Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola won’t underestimate the Toffees ahead of tonight’s Premier League clash between the two teams.
Having only won one of their last five league games, the Toffees will be eyeing up this fixture as an opportune moment to lay down a foundation for further success with an upset against the league leaders.
Ancelotti believes that his Spanish counterpart will realise that the Merseysiders will be no pushovers as they look to bounce back from the bitter disappointment of Sunday’s defeat at home to Fulham.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s match [via Liverpool Echo], Ancelotti was forthright when discussing the challenge that Guardiola can expect:
I think they don’t need motivation to play the games against us, Guardiola knows that it will not be easy to play against Everton, he knew before and he knows also now.
And for this we don’t have to expect a theme that he considers the game not difficult, because Guardiola is too smart, not to understand that against us it will be difficult.
The fixture at Goodison Park was meant to take place in December but was rescheduled for safety reasons after health concerns in Liverpool saw the match postponed with just four hours’ notice.
The two teams have yet to meet this season but will face each other three times in as many months, with two league games and an FA Cup quarter-final on the calendar.
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Despite the superficially firm tone, Ancelotti’s acknowledgement of Guardiola’s intelligent approach feels more like a back-handed compliment.
The Everton manager’s firmness is indicative of a side hungry and desperate to right the wrongs of the weekend, and the Toffees will hope that they puts up a more spirited display against the Cityzens tonight than they did on Sunday.
