Manchester City are not off the roaring start we've seen from them in recent years, although in this case all that means is they sit in 5th place after the first seven matches, three points behind league-leading Arsenal.
That doesn't mean they aren't a dangerous side, particularly in the attack, where they've already scored 15 goals, tops in the Premier League, in those seven matches. That goal-scoring onslaught is led by City's star man, Erling Haaland, who already has nine league goals, three additional tallies in the Champions League, and nine for his country since the beginning of the season.
So calling the Norway international a danger man feels like an understatement, especially now that City have seemingly found their footing in the league, having won three out of their last four, with the other being a draw away to Arsenal.
Plenty of attention will need to be paid to Haaland, and given the state of Everton's back line, that will likely prove a challenge for David Moyes to solve.
Michael Keane, who has been one of the surprises of the season for Everton through the first two months, left the win over Crystal Palace match with a rib injury and may be in doubt for Saturday. Jarrad Branthwaite continues to be out with his hamstring, leaving James Tarkowski and Jake O'Brien, the club's de facto right back, as the potential starting duo at center back.
Haaland makes life difficult for even the most gifted and experienced center back pairings, but Tarkowski and O'Brien have seen limited time next to one another, mostly coming this preseason while Branthwaite was out.
This is not a recipe for success, although, even as Keane has started the season well, he and Tarkowski are limited in terms of mobility, making their partnership suspect against Haaland anyway.
The thought of actually stopping Haaland is difficult to imagine anyway. In four matches against Everton in his career, he's scored four goals, including a brace in a 2-0 win at the Etihad in February of 2024. That was with the healthy pairing of Tarkowski and Branthwaite at center back for Everton.
So maybe the better directive is "don't let Haaland beat you." Everton should not expect to have much of the ball, and without Jack Grealish, Moyes will be forced to lean on other players to take advantage when they do.
City obviously have plenty of other talented players, like Phil Foden and 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, but it's clear that the goals come with Erling Haaland is scoring them. Everton must respond if they have any hope of a result this weekend.