Juan Mata battles with Everton’s Leighton Baines (Getty)
Manchester United travel to Goodison Park this Sunday to take on Everton as the Premier League enters the final five games of the season. Louis van Gaal will be looking for a response from his team following their frustrating 1-0 loss to league leaders Chelsea last weekend, especially with Manchester City just a solitary point behind in fourth place.
Everton, by contrast, have little to play for aside from professional pride. Safely ensconced in mid-table, 13 points above the relegation zone but 15 distant from the Europa League places, it will be interesting to see just how motivated Roberto Martinez’s side is for the visit of the Red Devils.
The Basics
Who:
Everton vs. Manchester United
When:
April 26th, 1:30pm BST / 8:30am Eastern
Channel:
Sky Sports 1 / NBC Sports
Where:
Goodison Park, Liverpool
Betting (Sky Bet):
Everton 12/5, Draw 23/10, Manchester United 23/20
Last Meeting:
Manchester United 2, Everton 1 on October 5th at Old Trafford
Scouting Everton
Marouane Fellaini facing former club Everton at Old Trafford back in October (Getty)
Everton have struggled for form all season, and were seemingly unable to recover from their Thursday night Europa League exploits by the time the weekend’s Premier League fixture came around. It’s little surprise, therefore, that Everton are unbeaten in their four games since being dumped out of Europe by Dinamo Kiev, winning three and drawing the other.
That unbeaten run has all but secured Premier League soccer for next season, which begs the question: with little else to play for, how up for the game will Roberto Martinez’s men be? While the Toffees have a decent record against United in recent seasons, will the blues be as hungry for the fight as Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils?
Scouting Manchester United
Angel di Maria against Everton back in October (Getty)
Louis van Gaal will be looking for a reaction following United’s disappointment at Stamford Bridge, but the Red Devils will have to do so without the services of Phil Jones, Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo, Adnan Januzaj and Rafael, while Daley Blind is a question mark.
Expect Wayne Rooney to return to striking duties against his boyhood club, with Radamel Falcao demoted to the bench and Juan Mata continuing in his “false winger” role. Angel di Maria could well be deployed behind Rooney in an advanced central midfield role.
Heavy’s Pick
Everton 1, Manchester United 2
Despite United having won just three of their last nine away games in the Premier League, we expect the Red Devils to reverse a run of two losses away at Goodison Park. With Everton already on the beach, and United still locked in a fight for automatic Champions League qualification, Louis van Gaal’s men should have both the quality and the hunger to secure all three points on Sunday.