Everton host Manchester United at Goodison Park on Saturday with three crucial points up for grabs.
A draw last time out against local rivals Liverpool was met with mixed emotions in many circles after a strong performance was partnered by a disappointing result. In particular, Danny Ings’ opening goal brought negative memories of last season’s defensive frailties flooding back.
The Toffees have tasted defeat only once this season and have built an early case to again challenge for the European places, having secured points against five of last season’s top eight.
Meanwhile, United are reeling from a quick-fire humbling at the hands Arsenal prior to the international break. A 13-minute Gunners blitzkrieg in which Alexis Sanchez scored twice put the result beyond doubt after just 19 minutes, condemning the Red Devils to their second defeat of the season.
An Everton victory in this match would see the Toffees go level on points with their visitors on 16.
Key Battle – Romelu Lukaku vs the United defence
If ever there was a time for Romelu Lukaku to take centre stage, this is it. The Belgian is likely to come up against a central-defensive pairing of Daley Blind and Chris Smalling, giving him a huge height advantage over Daley Blind in particular.
Lukaku has an additional 11 centimetres on the Dutchman and a significant strength advantage to boot. The quick, direct balls up to Lukaku suit him to a tee and will leave the United pair with a quite literally, massive, task.
This could see Phil Jones step in to replace Blind and significantly reduce the size gap.
Team News
Everton were boosted by the news that John Stones has recovered from a knee complaint and is expected to line up alongside skipper Phil Jagielka. In further positives news, Seamus Coleman got through Ireland’s Euro 2016 qualifiers unscathed and should slot back into the team at right-back. Ramiro Funes Mori and Ty Browning are likely to be the unlucky parties who drop out.
A raft of changes could be in order for Louis van Gaal’s side. The Dutch boss will be tempted to tinker with his central defensive partnership to minimise the size disparity imposed by Lukaku. In attack, Memphis Depay’s place in the team could be under some pressure after former Netherlands international Youri Mulder suggested United are beginning to lose patience with his “big star” attitude.
Head-to-Head
This fixture has been dominated by the Red Devils in its 109-year history. They tasted victory 70 times versus the Merseysiders’ 54. There have been an additional 40 draws.
Previous Meeting
These sides last met at Goodison in April earlier this year. Everton romped to an emphatic 3-0 win, with James McCarthy, John Stones and Kevin Mirallas all hitting the scoresheet.
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Prediction
Both sides will be desperate to claim all three points from this match with tough fixtures to come for each next week. Everton face a daunting trip to the Emirates while United will host this season’s first instalment of the Manchester Derby.
Whether the hosts can claim another big scalp will depend on the utilisation of Lukaku. Roberto Martinez has his team playing to the striker’s strengths and, should this continue, Everton will have a great chance of securing a second straight win against an imposing United side.
Everton 1 Manchester United 1
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