Match preview
Manchester United will welcome Everton to Old Trafford as they search for a second successive win in the Premier League. Victory for the Red Devils will take them back to the summit of the table while they hope that Manchester City slips up in Sunday's trip to Anfield. At the moment, the odds are strongly in favor of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men to come out on top when they take on the Toffees, having completely battered Southampton in their most recent outing. The Red Devils put the handicapped Saints to the sword, ruthlessly smashing them 9-0 at Old Trafford to match the record for the biggest-ever win in the history of the Premier League.
Essentially, the results catapulted the club's goal difference to +19, a piece of statistic that could prove crucial in what so far been a keenly contested title campaign. On Saturday, United will look to build on the mid-week's feat as the quest to make Old Trafford the fortress it used to be continues. So far, the Reds have taken just 17 points from a possible 33 at the venue and have already lost four times there. That is twice as many defeats picked up in the home stadium than they did in the whole duration of last season's campaign.
But they will enter the weekend's meeting with Everton with just one defeat from their last 16 appearances, drawing just four and winning the remaining 12 games. With this in place, while retaining a four-game unbeaten run against the Toffees, the 13-time Premier League winners will be optimistic about getting the better of the Merseysiders.
Nevertheless, Carlo Ancelotti will be keen on producing a masterclass to defy the odds in Saturday's trip. The Italian manager's side have been in and out of the top four this season and are very much in the race to finish as one of the high-ranked clubs at the end of the campaign. But they will be required to cut off the inconsistent run that has blighted their season in order to achieve this.
After a brilliant start to the season that saw them enjoy a brief spell as the top-ranked club in the premiership, they have failed to pick up meaningful points to help their cause. A series of wins over Chelsea, Leicester City, and Arsenal in December, was shortly followed by defeats to West Ham and Newcastle, with the Toffees picking up just two wins since the turn of the year.
All in all, the impressive away form of the Goodison Park outfit could serve as a basis for them to upset Manchester United at home. They will enter the weekend's clash with the Red Devils with the third-best away form in the league that has seen them pick up seven wins and one draw in 10 away trips.
Key stats
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Manchester United have been defeated in only one of their last 27 home Premier League meetings with Everton (W20 D6).
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Everton's only win in their last 11 Premier League matches against Manchester United was a 4-0 victory at Goodison Park in April 2019. They have since drawn four and lost six.
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Manchester United have won five of their last seven home games in the competition and have scored 20 goals and conceded just five in the process.
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Everton have their sight set on a fifth successive away league win. The last time the feat was achieved was in 1970 under Harry Catterick.
Team news
Manchester United will welcome Edinson Cavani to the side after the Uruguayan missed the second half of the win over Southampton with an ankle injury. Paul Pogba is also expected to return to the squad after being rested in the win over the Saints. Meanwhile, Phil Jones remains out of contention as he continues his recovery from a recurring foot injury.
For Everton, Jordan Pickford is out with an injury while the availability of James Rodriguez remains uncertain. Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Allan and Niels Nkounkou are long-term absentees and are not expected to play any role in the encounter at Old Trafford.
Predicted starting XI
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Manchester United: De Gea, Shaw, Bailly, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, McTominay, Pogba, Fernandes, Rashford, Greenwood, Cavani
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Everton: Olsen, Holgate, Keane, Godfrey, Digne, Doucouré, Gomes, Iwobi, Sigurðsson, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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