The latest on Julian Alvarez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Ruben Dias ahead of Manchester City vs Everton (Premier League)

Manchester City host Everton in their final match of 2022 as the Premier League returns to the Etihad Stadium this weekend.

City come into another fixture knowing anything but a win will be impactful on their chase to retain their Premier League crown, as Arsenal currently hold a five-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s side.

The return of the top-flight for Pep Guardiola and his players saw them overcome a tough challenge against Leeds United at Elland Road, as goals from Erling Haaland and Rodrigo secured a 1-3 win.

Frank Lampard’s somewhat struggling Everton side will be the final challenge of another hugely successful calendar year for the City squad, as both sets of players welcome back faces in attacking positions ahead of the match.

Here is a comprehensive round-up of the latest team news and fitness updates from both camps.

Manchester City team news

Julian Alvarez returned to Manchester City training on Friday afternoon ahead of the clash against Everton, after the Argentina international was granted an extended period of time off following his World Cup success.

Saturday afternoon’s match may come too soon for the forward, however there remains an outside chance that he could make the matchday squad and be named among Pep Guardiola’s substitutes at the Etihad Stadium.

After returning to Manchester “overweight” – as described by Pep Guardiola – following his time off in between England duty and the return of club football, Kalvin Phillips was named among the substitutes at Elland Road and is considered as fit for the weekend’s fixture.

Ruben Dias continues to be sidelined following his muscular injury sustained at the FIFA World Cup with Portugal, and is expected to be out for at least another three weeks.

Everton team news

Frank Lampard confirmed during his pre-match press conference that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be in Everton’s matchday squad on Saturday afternoon, having been out since early November with a knee injury.

Conor Coady is also set to return to Lampard’s side after being ineligible to face parent club Wolves on Boxing Day as part of his loan agreement.

Defensive partner Yerry Mina will be assessed on a ‘low level’ hamstring issue ahead of the Toffees’ trip to Manchester, having been replaced against Wolves due to cramp, while Lampard also revealed ahead of the weekend that a few unwell players will be checked for Everton.

Lampard said, “We’ve got a few people who are slightly unwell so we’ve got a few checks on that.”