Last time these two teams met was in November last year, where Manchester United secured a convincing 3-0 win at Goodison Park, featuring a spectacular overhead kick by Alejandro Garnacho. Although Manchester United had shown promise with four consecutive league wins in February, they stumbled with back-to-back losses to Fulham and Manchester City.
Despite aspirations fueled by minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe to rival Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of English football, Manchester United faced a reality check in a 3-1 derby defeat against Manchester City. The loss, their 11th in the league this season, widened the gap between them and the top teams.
Their hopes for a Champions League spot are fading as they lag 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and six points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Nonetheless, they aim to close the gap with a win against Everton.
Manchester United's home record this season has been average, but they have a strong history against Everton, having won 40 league meetings, including their last four encounters by a significant margin.
Meanwhile, Everton's recent form has been disappointing, failing to win any of their last ten league games, including all seven in 2024. They are in danger of relegation, sitting just above the drop zone.
Their away form has dipped as well, with no wins in their last five matches. However, they had shown promise earlier in the season with a run of five wins in six away games.
Facing Manchester United at Old Trafford poses a tough challenge for Everton, who have won only once in their last 30 league visits to the stadium. Their sole victory came in December 2013 under Roberto Martinez's management.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Manchester United are still dealing with injuries to several key players including Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial, Mason Mount, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. These players are all in the process of recovering from various injuries, which means they won't be available for the upcoming match.However, there's a possibility that Rasmus Hojlund and Harry Maguire might return to the squad after missing the last couple of games due to minor issues. Marcus Rashford and Jonny Evans are nursing knocks from previous matches, and their fitness will be assessed before the game.
In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo, who made his Premier League debut in the previous match against Everton, is expected to retain his spot alongside Casemiro. The decision whether to start Victor Lindelof or Sofyan Amrabat at left-back will depend on Maguire and Evans' availability in central defense.
On Everton's side, Dele Alli and Arnaut Danjuma are still sidelined due to groin and ankle injuries respectively. Idrissa Gueye's availability will be decided closer to kickoff as he's recovering from a groin problem.
Andre Gomes and Lewis Dobbin have recovered from calf and ankle injuries and could feature in the upcoming game. However, the midfield trio of Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and James Garner is expected to remain unchanged.
In defense, Ashley Young, a former Manchester United player, will be competing with Ben Godfrey and Nathan Patterson for the right-back position. Up front, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be eager to end his goal drought and might get the nod ahead of Beto.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Manchester United possible starting lineup:Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Lindelof; Casemiro, Mainoo; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Rashford
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Garner, Onana, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Manchester United 3-2 Everton
The pressure is on Manchester United, especially with the possible return of Hojlund, to take the initiative against Everton, especially in front of their passionate home crowd at Old Trafford. We predict that they'll manage to break through Everton's recently shaky defense and secure a narrow victory.
