Manchester City have just returned from Saudi Arabia, where they won the Club World Cup, and immediately got "from ship to ball". Pep Guardiola's men played their first game in Liverpool against Everton, who took points away from the Mancunians last season. Manchester City came to Goodison Park having lost points in five of the past six Premier League rounds. Most likely, the pressure the players felt was much more serious than before the final match in Saudi Arabia. In the end, Everton scored first then forced the champion to play at maximum speed. Manchester City scored three times in the second half and sealed an important victory that puts the club back in serious contention for the title. Sheffield United live in a slightly different reality. "Blades" are the only collective of the Premier League, which after nineteen rounds did not "exchange" and ten points. In the first round, Sheffield United managed to impose the struggle to the champion, losing to him with a score of 1:2. The victory of the Mancunians happened at the expense of a goal scored by Rhodri in the 88th minute. Interestingly, the upcoming meeting will be the third for the teams in the closing year. The first one took place in April in the FA Cup semi-final and brought Manchester City a 3-0 victory at the Etihad. Bookmakers have identified the hosts as total favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.07 on their victory.

Back in November, the Mancunians were leading in the league, but fell into a winless streak of four matches. During that period, City have faced Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa. However, for the champion, not a single win in such a stretch is a frankly weak result. To all of Manchester City's woes in the round before last was a draw with Crystal Palace, which the opponents got at the expense of a goal in 90+5 minutes. The victory over Everton and the triumph in Saudi Arabia added to the confidence of the hosts, but are they ready to crush their opponents? Especially when they are not going to play open football.

Sheffield United have lost fourteen times in nineteen rounds. Seven points "Blades" scored in home matches, two - away. At the same time, the clubs that have not beaten Sheffield United at home are strong Brighton and Aston Villa. This means that the guests are able to effectively contain strong opponents.