Pep Guardiola confirmed Sergio Aguero will be straight back into Manchester City's team once he is fully fit.
It has been a stop-start season so far for Aguero, with the 32-year-old having been restricted to just four Premier League appearances due to a series of niggling injuries.
With Gabriel Jesus contracting coronavirus, Ferran Torres deputised in a central striking role for City on Boxing Day, with the former Valencia man scoring in a 2-0 win over Newcastle United.
Torres made way for Aguero with 13 minutes remaining, and the Argentine had four touches and registered one attempt on target during is time on the pitch.
"We need him. I need him. The fact that in the 15 minutes Sergio played we saw him look sharp and dynamic and this is incredible news," Guardiola, whose side face in-form Everton on Monday, told reporters.
"We have to be careful, we cannot do like in the past where he came back and then is injured.
"I love this guy and he's an incredible person. As soon as he is fit, and making the step to get back, he's going into the team immediately."
Everton, who are without James Rodriguez, Allan, Lucas Digne and Richarlison, moved into second with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Boxing Day - their fourth straight league victory.
Though Everton sit just three points behind leaders Liverpool, Carlo Ancelotti said the Toffees, who like City have less than 48 hours to recover, are taking it game by game.
"We are there, we are pleased to be there," he told BT Sport. "We don't have a lot of time to think about it, because we have an important game in two days.
"This is unbelievable, I don't know how we are meant to play this game, but we have to."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Everton - Ben Godfrey
Signed from Norwich City at the end of the transfer window, Godfrey has been thrown in at the deep end by Ancelotti, playing at right-back and, in the last five games, at left-back. However, he has performed brilliantly, and should he play on Monday, will get the chance to put himself up against some of the league's best attackers.
Manchester City - Sergio Aguero
Having returned against Newcastle, it remains to be seen whether Aguero will be fit to start at Goodison Park. However, with Everton in such good form defensively - conceding only one goal in their last four league matches - the experienced forward may well be required to break a deadlock.
KEY OPTA FACTS
- Everton have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Manchester City (D4 L9), winning 4-0 in January 2017 at Goodison Park.
- City have lost their final league game in just one of the last 19 calendar years (W9 D9), with that defeat coming on Merseyside at the hands of Liverpool in 2016 (0-1).
- Everton have won their last two Premier League home games, beating Chelsea 1-0 and Arsenal 2-1. They last won three consecutively at Goodison Park between March-September 2019, a run of six that began with victories against Chelsea and Arsenal (beating Manchester United in the third game).
- City have scored just four goals in their last six Premier League away games (W2 D3 L1), and never more than once in a match in that run.
- Everton's Gylfi Sigurdsson has been involved in four goals in 14 Premier League games this season (two goals, two assists), just one fewer than he had in 35 appearances last term.
- Since Guardiola took charge of Man City in 2016, Raheem Sterling has been involved in more goals in all competitions than any other player at the club, with his assist against Newcastle last time out his 150th goal involvement under the Spaniard (96 goals, 54 assists).
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