Another early kick off see the Toffees travel to Old Trafford on Saturday 2nd October for some more Premier League action. After quite a dramatic last minute victory midweek hopefully the Red Devils can continue on an upwards trajectory by putting another three points on the table.
Everton come into this game in a very good run of form. They are currently level on points with Manchester United, with only goal difference separating them. Both teams have played 6, won 4, drawn 1 and lost 1 in the Premier League. In our last 6 matches against Everton, Manchester United have won 3 and drawn 3. One of those wins being the 4-0 in a pre-season friendly. In fact, Manchester United have only lost one of our last 14 games against Everton. So our record against the blue half of Merseyside is pretty strong. I think this game is something of a must win, anything other than three points will feel like a massive knock in momentum right before an international break.
Everton come into this with two big gaps in the attacking line. Both Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin are injured and not set to return until after the international break. With that in mind I expect Rafa Benitez to stick with the 4-4-1-1 formation. Pickford looks set to retain his place in net. With Keane and Mina at centre-back. Alex Iwobi is quite a major doubt and I’d imagine Benitez pushes Lucas Digne further forward into the midfield. Ben Godfrey would drop in at left-back with Mason Holgate on the right. The central midfield will be occupied by Doucouré and Allan. And as mentioned Digne on the left flank with Andros Townsend on the right. Demarai Gray in that number 10 role just off Salomón Rondón in the number 9.
The main threat from this everton team will no doubt be Abdoulaye Doucouré. He is really cementing himself as a solid box-to-box midfielder. The physicality of the man is unbelievable, he is a bit of beast in that central midfield position. And then under Benitez this season he has added another element to his game. His ability going forward has improved and he has become a serious threat on goal. 2 goals and 3 assists in 7 games this season is nothing to be sniffed at. From that kind of midfield position he can be a dangerous player.
After flirting with the idea of a 4-3-3 in midweek, I expect Ole Gunnar Solskjær to revert back to the 4-2-3-1 given that the McTominay single pivot didn’t work well at all. David de Gea has once again made himself a certainty. With his resurgence in form, he is making the Dean Henderson debate of last season seem like a distant memory. Luke Shaw is still a doubt for the weekend after picking up a knock against Aston Villa. Alex Telles, therefore, will most likely make a return at left-back. With Maguire still being out, Lindelöf and Varane will no doubt start at centre-back. After a poor performance midweek from Diogo Dalot I fully expect Aaron Wan-Bissaka to return to the starting XI.
In midfield I would not be surprised to see a return of the Fred and McTominay. As much as some fans, myself included sometimes, don’t like seeing it. Ole seems to trust that pairing and it’s what I expect him to go for. The forward four are where things could switch up a little bit. Bruno will obviously start in the 10. I thought Jadon Sancho showed glimpses of what he’s really about in the midweek game, as such I imagine he keeps his place on the right. What I really want Ole to for is starting Cavani up top and Ronaldo on the left. I thought Cavani was a breath of fresh air when he came on against Villarreal his relentlessness was unrivalled and his pressing was unquestionable. These two together on the pitch could be lethal.
All in all, I think we have the capability to put three points on the board here. However, I expect Everton to make it tough for us. Hopefully, we can put in a solid performance and put them to one side. I think the worst thing we could do is drop points here and carry that level of negativity into the international break. Instead let’s get some momentum going and hope that it carries through the break to a tough run of games that is on the horizon.