Everton and Manchester United will renew their rivalry on Sunday afternoon when the Toffees welcome the Red Devils to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in a highly anticipated Premier League encounter.
David Moyes has made an encouraging start to his latest Everton campaign, with his side unbeaten after two league matches. Everton opened the season with victory over Crystal Palace before drawing 1-1 away to Bournemouth, while they also secured a comfortable EFL Cup win over Preston North End.
Manchester United, meanwhile, bounced back from their disappointing opening-day defeat to Hull City by producing an emphatic 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town. Bruno Fernandes was the star of the show at Old Trafford, scoring a hat-trick as United overturned an early Leif Davis goal. Jacob Greaves also put through his own net before Bryan Mbeumo completed the scoring in a seven-goal thriller.
The victory lifted United into the top half of the Premier League table and further strengthened Michael Carrick’s impressive record since taking charge. The Englishman has collected 42 points from his first 20 league matches and could reach another significant milestone with victory on Sunday.
For Everton, the fixture provides Moyes with another reunion against his former employers. The Scot has endured 23 Premier League defeats against Manchester United as a manager, while United also won the most recent meeting at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in February.
However, Everton will be confident of making home advantage count. They are unbeaten so far this season and could record consecutive Premier League victories at their new stadium for only the second time.
Team News
Manchester United will be without new £70m signing Carlos Baleba, who is still recovering from an ankle injury and is expected to wait a couple more weeks before making his debut. Manuel Ugarte and Amad Diallo are also guaranteed absentees due to knee and ankle injuries respectively.
Matthijs de Ligt is a major doubt because of a back problem, while Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and goalkeeper Tom Heaton will all undergo late fitness checks before a final decision is made.
Bruno Fernandes will be one of the main players to watch after his hat-trick against Ipswich. The Portuguese playmaker has also recorded 11 Premier League goal involvements against Everton, matching the best tally achieved by any United player against the Toffees.
Everton could hand Jack Grealish an immediate return to the starting XI following his deadline-day loan move from Manchester City. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is also expected to be involved after joining on September 1.
Christian Norgaard remains a doubt due to an unspecified injury. Everton will also need to adjust their attack following Iliman Ndiaye’s move to Manchester City and Beto’s departure for Fiorentina. Brennan Johnson could therefore feature on the right wing, while Thierno Barry is likely to lead the line.
Possible Lineups
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Armstrong; Johnson, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Mainoo, Tielemans; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford; Cunha
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | SuperSport |
| Live Stream | dstv stream |
| Kick-off Time | 14:00pm (WAT) |
Match Prediction
Softfootball predicts Everton 1-2 Manchester United.
