It seems so long ago now, but it wasn't always like this. There was once a time when Everton's result against Manchester City did not feel such a formality.

While that might sound pessimistic, you have to go back 15 matches to the last time that the Blues beat City, when a Tom Davies wondergoal and a first goal for the club for Ademola Lookman capped an incredible 4-0 win at Goodison Park.

But a victory at the Etihad Stadium? You have to go all the way back to the final Monday Night Football before Christmas in December 2010 for that to happen as early goals from Tim Cahill and Leighton Baines set up a 2-1 triumph that denied Roberto Mancini's team the chance to go top.

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That was Everton's fourth straight success at the home of City, who back then were sick of the sight of David Moyes' men.

But since then, the Blues have gone 14 games without winning at the ground built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games, losing nine and drawing five.

However, whisper it quietly.... will Sean Dyche's side ever have a better chance of ending that wretched record?

After all, City will go into the Boxing Day clash on the back of a remarkable run of nine defeats in their last 12 games in all competitions. For so long regarded as one of the best if not the best team in world club football, Pep Guardiola's side now appear completely fallible.

Everton, in contrast, go into the match on the back of excellent back-to-back 0-0 draws against Chelsea and Arsenal - who now look the only teams capable of catching leaders Liverpool given defending champions City's fall from grace - and a rousing 4-0 win over Wolves.

Phil Jagielka was part of the last Blues side to win at the Etihad and he will be back at the stadium tomorrow as part of Amazon Prime's punditry line-up. And speaking exclusively to the ECHO, he said: "Yes, we used to frustrate them quite a lot!

"I remember there was one time there it was about -2 degrees and they all had snoods and gloves on and we all went out there in short sleeves! It was the way we were at the time. We were just so comfortable with each other. We didn't have massive numbers, it was pretty much the same team most weeks, but the game has changed now and Man City have gone above and beyond what anyone expected them to do at that time, winning four league titles on the spin.

"It's such a tough place to go - maybe less tough at the moment, but you're always expecting Man City to turn it around. That's not happened just yet, but while you're thinking that it will only be a matter of time before something clicks, you're hoping it's not the game against Everton and hopefully it's a game Everton can get something out of."

Jagielka, who made 385 appearances for the Blues across 12 seasons, continued: "It's always a great place to go. The stadium is still pretty new, the changing rooms are fantastic, and the pitch is always like a carpet.

"Sometimes they put players out there who are the best in the world and it's not such a fantastic place to go! But as a professional footballer these are the type of games you want to put yourselves in. And, with the way things are going at the moment, as an Everton fan or player, you'd rather be taking on a Man City team in the position they're in rather than one that's won 10 on the spin."

Phil Jagielka will be working as a pundit on Prime’s coverage of Man City vs. Everton on December 26. Prime will exclusively show every Premier League match on Boxing Day with over 10 hours of football available to fans at no extra cost to their Prime membership.