Saturday’s early kick-off in the Premier League brings together two sides in need of points for very different reasons.
Trailing the Champions League places by 11 points, sixth-placed Manchester United will be looking to close the gap on home soil this weekend.
At the opposite end of the table, Everton find themselves five points outside the drop zone, with the threat of relegation looming large.
Testing out the touch ⚽️#MUFC || #PL pic.twitter.com/UNYRGG14YI— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 7, 2024
Testing out the touch ⚽️#MUFC || #PL pic.twitter.com/UNYRGG14YI
Manchester United head into Saturday’s clash on the back of successive defeats in the Premier League, having fallen to Fulham and Manchester City.
After suffering a 2-1 loss against the Cottagers at Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag’s side were beaten 3-1 by their bitter rivals last weekend, conceding 27 shots while managing a solitary attempt on target.
Still, trends show that Man Utd have won six of their previous eight matches across all competitions, although only one of those victories came at Old Trafford.
It is also worth remembering that United have been inconsistent on home soil this season, recording seven wins, one draw and five losses in the league at Old Trafford.
As for Everton, they suffered a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United last time out, despite racking up a whopping 22 shots at Goodison Park.
The Toffees have now failed to win any of their previous 10 Premier League matches, with five draws coming in their last seven outings.
The stats show that five of Everton’s previous seven league encounters have produced under 2.5 goals, with four low-scoring draws coming during that period.
Although Sean Dyche’s men registered four consecutive away league wins between October and December, they have taken two points from a possible 15 on the road since then.
Head-to-head: Thanks to a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in November, Manchester United have won each of their last four meetings with Everton.
Across all competitions, the Toffees have managed to win just one of their previous 11 matches against the Red Devils, with their last win at Old Trafford coming in 2013.
Team news: Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia, Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are all unavailable for the hosts.
Everton, on the other hand, are currently without injured winger Arnaut Danjuma, while Idrissa Gana Gueye is a doubt for Saturday’s showdown.
Although the Red Devils have been wildly inconsistent this season, there is no hiding the fact that Everton are in a mess right now.
Forebet’s AI algorithm predicts that both teams will score at Old Trafford. However, Manchester United are expected to outscore Everton.