Faltering Red Devils Face Goodison Test
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While Manchester City have been riding high at the top of the Premier League table, the same cannot be said for Manchester United.
Thanks to Chelsea’s big win over Stoke City and Manchester United’s 0-0 draw at home to Southampton, the Red Devils have dropped down to third in the league and are in danger of being sucked into a battle just for a top four place.
Everton on the other hand have been upwardly mobile since the appointment of Sam Allardyce. However, they too suffered a disappointing result on Saturday as they went down 2-1 at Bournemouth.
Both teams come into this match knowing a win is vital if they want to retain any hope of achieving their targets from the start of the season.
Trends show Everton’s defeat to Bournemouth was their first in nine games in all competitions. Since his appointment, Sam Allardyce has made Everton a tough team to beat and they had won five and drawn three of their previous eight games prior to the loss on Saturday.
At home, Everton have won four and drawn one of their last five Premier League games. Their last match at Goodison was a 0-0 draw with Chelsea and this shows they are back to something like their best in-front of their own fans.
The same cannot be said for Manchester United and while Everton have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, the Red Devils have suffered some poor results.
Trends show Manchester United have failed to win their last four matches, with defeat in the League Cup at Bristol City followed by three straight draws in the Premier League. The runs of draws started with the concession of a last-minute equaliser at ten-man Leicester City.
What followed was two draws at home to Burnley and Southampton. In truth, the result could have gone either way in both matches and Manchester United were forced to come from 2 goals down to pick up a point against Burnley.
Manchester United have lost two games away from home in the Premier League this season at Huddersfield and Chelsea. However, they have won three and drawn one of their last four away league games, including a good 3-1 win at Arsenal.
Manchester United have scored in each of their last four away league games but have also failed to keep a clean sheet.
Team news and Everton will be without the injured quartet of Ramiro Funes Mori, Seamus Coleman, Maarten Stekelenburg and Leighton Baines. Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney is expected to make the starting XI.
Manchester United travel without Eric Bailly, Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini, Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Former Everton striker Romelu Lukaku will also miss the match having suffered a head injury against Southampton, leaving Jose Mourinho light up-front.
Although Manchester United have not been playing well, they have remained difficult to beat and Everton will be wary of their threat on the break. This could see the match develop into a stalemate, with the teams finishing level at full-time.
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