Prediction: Everton vs Manchester United

Verdict: Manchester United

Best Odds: 23/20

Bookmaker: Bet365

The Toffees do have a tendency to surprise Manchester United but Ronald Koeman’s men will find it hard to make another upset against the Red Devils, who sent a strong statement of intent with their EFL Cup win over West Ham during the week.

Everton

Only one win in their last eight Premier League matches has been a rather disappointing tally for Everton, who are struggling to get back up on their feet since September. Koeman has had a good start to the new campaign, having gone unbeaten in first six matches across all competitions but the Toffees’ form has hit a wall and they are struggling to recover. Everton remain seventh in the Premier league standings and are seated only one point behind their Sunday’s rivals which means the clash at Goodison will be the perfect opportunity to grab much-needed win that would also bring a desired morale-boost for Koeman’s man. Everton have won three of their last five home matches against Manchester United, but are winless against the same opposition since 2015 and that is something Ronald Koeman is willing to change.

Team News

Home side remain without Muhamed Besic and Matthew Pennington who continue to miss through their knee and muscle injuries, respectively.

Tyias Browning and Arona Kone are major doubts for the game, together with Darron Gibson who is lacking match fitness. On the other side, James McCarthy is ready to start after getting back to full fitness.

Manchester United

Althouth they lost only two of their last fifteen matches in all competitions, Manchester United are feeling disappointed with their most recent form which has seen Jose Mourinho’s men record their poorest start to the Premier League season since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Red Devils were starting to feel as if they had been cursed since they had been unable to capitalize on their dominant play, but they still managed to make amends for the Premier League home draw against West Ham last weekend with a compelling midweek EFL Cup win over same opposition. Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened and closed the scoring in a 4-1 victory, whereas Anthony Martial added another two goals for the Red Devils. Jose Mourinho will be extremely pleased to see his summer acquisition Henrikh Mkhitaryan hit fine form over the last two matches, which is likely to be a big boost to Manchester United’s chances at Goodison. The Armenian international brought the much-needed flair and vigour in Manchester United’s performance at Old Trafford and capped his wonderful performance with two assists, which will have been a major confidence boost for the player himself.

Team News

Captain Wayne Rooney will miss the return to his former club due to a yellow-card suspension and will have to wait for a bit longer to level Sir Bobby Charlton’s record.

Jose Mourinho will not have major selection issues ahead of the Sunday’s clash as only Eric Bailly and Christ Smalling are unavailable for Everton due to their knee and muscle injuries, respectively.

Key Aspects to Consider

• Everton won only 1 of their last 8 Premier League matches
• Man United won only 1 of their last 7 Premier League games
• Red Devils triumphed in their last 2 trips to Goodison
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 5 goals in his last 4 games
• Romelu Lukaku boasts a tally of 7 Premier League goals

Conclusion

Manchester United are determined to record a win at Goodison and get some consistency to their performances, which has largely been missing over the last couple of weeks. Jose Mourinho shifted his formation and 4-3-3 system appears to be working just fine for Red Devils, getting the best out of the attack-oriented players such as Anthony Martial, and helping Zlatan Ibrahimovic get back to his usual best.

Verdict: Manchester United

Best Odds: 23/20

Bookmaker: Bet365