Manchester United are set to play their first match following the final international break of 2023 and they are going to Liverpool to face Everton. Here is what you need to know ahead of the always tricky trip.
Team News
Everton will have several players out of contention for this match. Sean Dyche will be without Amadou Onana who got a tight calf problem in the team’s last match against Crystal Palace. He is thus unlikely to feature, while the likes of Dele Alli and Andre Gomes remain on the sidelines too. Seamus Coleman is slowly building up his fitness, but it seems that this match is coming too soon for him as well.
Man United, on the other hand, it will be interesting to see whether Andre Onana will be ready to play following his adductor strain he picked up while with Cameroon on international duty. Rasmus Hojlund could miss out on the match after his thigh injury he picked up against Luton, while the other Dane will definitely miss out – Christian Eriksen’s knee injury against Luton means he will need a couple of weeks to recuperate. Apart from them, all the other missing players are known for a while – Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Amad Diallo, Jonny Evans and Facundo Pellistri. Add to that Jadon Sancho and his exile and it is clear Erik Ten Hag will have to come up with some interesting solutions for this trip to Liverpool.
Form Guide
Everton are hosting Man United in an unusual situation. On the pitch, they are in great form. They defeated West Ham in London 1-0, eliminated Burnley from the League Cup 3-0, drew against a really good Brighton side 1-1 and then defeated Crystal Palace in a five-goal thriller. But their results on the pitch have been made less impressive by the fact the club has been docked 10 points for financial fair-play irregularities, so the Toffees do not have those 14 points anymore. They are now sitting in 19th place with mere four points, two points behind Luton who are the first team out of the relegation zone.
Man United, on the other hand, have been in a tough situation. They went on the international break following a 1-0 win over Luton, but their results before that were highly unimpressive. A 4-3 loss in the Champions League to Copenhagen has seen them drop to the bottom place in their group standings, while 3-0 losses against Man City and Newcastle were a big reality check for Erik Ten Hag and his team. Hopefully a strong performance at the Goodison will be a start of something better, after Ten Hag had a fortnight of preparations for the most hectic part of the campaign that is upon us.
Predicted Outcome
Everton are in a delicate situation due to their off-the-pitch problems, but that could make them more dangerous on it, due to the them-against-them mentality that Dyche could instill in his team. But we predict Manchester United will win 1-0 in a tough fought affair. Everton can be really dangerous at the Goodison, but this time, United should get the better of them.
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