Dyche vows City won’t enjoy a stroll at the Park

EVERTON boss Sean Dyche has warned Manchester City to expect a hostile atmosphere when they play at Goodison Park on Sunday.

City are one point clear of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, with a game in hand, but they can extend their lead to four with a win over the Toffees.

Pep Guardiola’s side kick-off at 2pm on Sunday, with Arsenal’s game at home to Brighton taking place two-and-a-half hours after that.

Dyche has warned City to expect a tough test, though, with Everton high on confidence after winning 5-1 at Brighton on Monday to climb to 17th and out of the relegation places.

“It’ll be a really good atmosphere for us to play in,” said Dyche (right). “The message will be simple: just take it on. It’s a big challenge, but it’s about taking it on with the mentality we showed at Brighton.

“All the details have got to be right against City. You might need them to have a soft one and your key players play well, all those things go in the melting pot. Yet, it’s still about us taking the game on.”

Guardiola is expected to make changes, given the game is sandwiched in the middle of City’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. City drew the first leg in Madrid 1-1 on Tuesday and will host the reigning European champions on Wednesday.

Guardiola made no substitutes during the game on Tuesday and, as a result, the likes of Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez are primed to come into the team for the trip to Goodison.

City are currently chasing the treble, with an FA Cup Final against Manchester United on June 3 on the horizon. “We want to win it [Champions

League],” said City midfielder Jack Grealish.

“It’s something we haven’t got yet. We’re not just playing for the Champions League this year, though; we’re playing for the FA Cup and the League title as well. We’re a very confident side at the moment.” City were without left-back Nathan Ake for Tuesday’s draw in Madrid and he was due to be assessed today to see if he is able to play this weekend. Ake was forced to come off with a muscle issue during last weekend’s win over Leeds.