Manchester City vs Everton: Pep Guardiola admits Toffees test will be tough... 'but I expect to win'

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Manchester City host Everton in the first Monday Night Football game of the new season.

Both sides began the 2017-18 campaign with a win, City proving too much for Brighton while Wayne Rooney scored on his Goodison Park return against Stoke.

Here, Pep Guardiola and Ronald Koeman preview the action to come from the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola in his own words

Pep Guardiola is expecting a tough test against Everton but believes his side will win

What are you looking for from the team on Monday?

I don't like to play on Monday, the last game, when everybody is done and you play. In terms of results, you never got good results when you play the last game on a Monday. Everton will be tough. But I expect a good game and to win, of course.

Is closing the transfer window when the season starts a good idea?

It would be nice. We will start the season with the squad that we'll work with until the winter window. It will be better I think for all the clubs, not just in England but from all around the world.

The managers and the clubs will work quicker and not wait for the last second.

Vincent Kompany has operated on the right of a back three to get the best out of John Stones

In the back three, why is Vincent Kompany on the right?

Because John (Stones) has a specific quality to squeeze our game. His reading is so good to be high against the opponents.

In duels, Vincent is much better than John and normally duels happen in Vincent's position, not John's. With the first step, the first pass, John is better than the others.

Can you cope with the expectation of being favourites?

It's the same expectation as last season. But after 4-0 for Manchester United, we are less favourites. And when we lose one game, we are not definitely favourites. When we lose three games in a row, we are not favourites. So it's simple.

You were better away than home last year. Can you explain it?

No. I thought a lot about that, but I didn't find a reason why. Hopefully, this season, at home we can win a lot of games.

Guardiola is hoping City can win more home games than they managed last season

What's the thinking behind so many strikers?

We need them. We have four competitions and a lot of games.

Is your squad good enough to win titles?

Every season I start I always believe my players are the best. After that we decide what is best to make our club stronger.

Ronald Koeman in his own words 

Ronald Koeman admits Everton have been handed a tough start to the new season

How important is it to get a good result at City?

We know we have a tough start in the league. In the first six games, we play three difficult ones away.

What type of players have you bought this summer?

What you try to do is find a really good balance in your team of age and experience. We brought a really young goalkeeper [Jordan Pickford] in and he is doing fantastic. 

Michael Keane can be one of the best central defenders in the Premier League and along with Sandro Ramirez and Davy Klaassen we have brought in young players with a future. 

With Wayne [Rooney] and Gylfi [Sigurdsson] it is about experience. Wayne won a lot of titles and that experience is really important for a team who want to win titles.

The Dutchman is unsure whether new signing Gylfi Sigurdsson will play on Monday night

Is closing the window when the season starts a good idea?

That is really difficult. Maybe in England they like to finish it when the Premier League starts, but what will happen in the rest of Europe?

You had to wait to sign Gylfi. How much do you value him?

Chairman Bill [Kenwright] was always so calm. He said: 'I will do the deal but we need to be patient.' Sometimes it takes longer than you like. 

We are delighted to get Sigurdsson. We have tried to bring in a player who brings productivity to the team, a really important player for set-plays. 

But I don't know if he will be involved against City.