Manchester United arguably had their best performance of the season against West Ham United in the midweek EFL Cup fixture and they will draw confidence from the thumping win. Everton, on the hand, are going through an abysmal phase in the league and Ronald Koeman will surely have difficulties in choosing the right team for the big fixture at Goodison Park.
Everton have lost four of their last five meetings with Manchester United in all competitions, winning only one and with the most recent of those defeats coming in the FA Cup semi-final last season. United have won at Goodison Park on 15 occasions in the Premier League, which is the most they have managed, in any other away venue in EPL history.
Team News
Everton
Everton have been one of the rare teams to enjoy first team service regularly with little to no injuries. This makes their current form an even bigger concern. On a positive note, long-term absentee Muhamed Besic will be available for selection. Besic had been absent since sustaining a cruciate knee ligament damage in the pre-season friendly against Manchester United.
Manchester United
United captain Wayne Rooney will be suspended for Sunday’s game as he picked up his fifth booking of the season in the midweek EFL Cup win over West Ham. It could be a huge miss as the England captain has shown glimpses of getting back to form in his recent performances.
Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini are back after serving one-game bans of their own, but Luke Shaw remains a doubt yet again with an unspecified injury, while Eric Bailly (knee) and Chris Smalling (toe) remain absent.
Predicted Lineups
Everton- Stekelenburg; Coleman, Jagielka, Williams, Baines; Gueye, Barry; Mirallas, Barkley, Bolasie, Lukaku
Manchester United- De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Rojo, Darmian; Pogba, Herrera; Martial, Mata, Mkhitaryan; Ibrahimović
Key Players
Everton- Romelu Lukaku will be given the job of drawing the first blood. The Belgian has been one of the rare positive points in Everton’s under-performing squad. Given that United’s weakest link has been their defence, Lukaku will have a chance to get back to scoring goals. With agile wingers and forwards like Mirallas and Barkley, Lukaku could enjoy a plethora of chances.
Manchester United- Ibrahimović has been in sublime form lately. He has made perfect runs and finished most of the chances created on the counter. He will always be a threat to the Toffees. Apart from the Swede, Mkhitaryan will be another headache for the Everton defence. After almost two months since joining, the Armenian international got his first full match chance against the West Ham and he was unstoppable. He seems to click well with Zlatan.
Odds
Everton @ 3.60
Draw @ 3.50
Manchester United @ 2.15
