Manchester United vs Everton
The form of these two going into Friday’s FA Cup third-round clash could hardly be more
contrasting.
Manchester United are “growing in belief,” according to Erik ten Hag after brushing
Bournemouth aside 3-0 at Old Trafford to make it six straight wins in all competitions.
Everton, on the other hand, are without a win in their last seven games after a damaging 4-1
home defeat to Brighton.
After the weekend’s draw at Manchester City, Frank Lampard was brought crashing down to
earth by a Brighton side whose xG (1.69) away from home is only bettered by Man City and
Liverpool.
There’s no doubt that Roberto De Zerbi’s side are right on track for a top-10 finish and a win at
Goodison was expected by the bookies.
It was a game in which Everton made a hatful of mistakes in a dreadful 10-minute spell after
half-time.
Considering the Toffees were flawless defensively at The Etihad, Tuesday’s capitulation will
have left Lampard shell-shocked.
“Since I’ve been here we’ve been in this situation of fighting relegation,” said Lampard.
“It’s not a case of fear, I can’t control the talk or the decision when you are around this area of
the table. When you lose a game like this I absolutely understand any reaction.
“I am very confident in myself and will work to turn it around. The only concern you can have is
the work you do the next day. I arrived in a relegation battle and you have to focus on going
again.”
Lampard will get a chance to put the result right at Old Trafford and it’s unclear whether he will
make a raft of changes or throw in the majority of the side that flopped at Goodison.
Lampard made 11 changes for the EFL Cup defeat to Bournemouth in November and he could
go down that route again.
Similarly, his opposite number Ten Hag could ring the changes after his men disposed of
Bournemouth with minimum fuss last time out.
The likes of Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen all started in
United’s recent EFL Cup win over Burnley, but that quartet may find themselves rested on
Friday.
It’s a tricky game to analyse, but one thing for sure is that Everton will not be in any way
expansive at Old Trafford. With the Brighton defeat ringing in their ears we can expect
Lampard’s men to be defensively solid.
The Toffees are likely to adopt the 5-3-2 formation that served them well in the 1-1 draw at The
Etihad and the back five will not get too far advanced.
Lampard may just be tempted to go into the game with a stronger line-up than he would have
prior to Tuesday’s home defeat. That could well give Everton a better platform to push United
harder than the bookies expect.
It’s still difficult to make a case for Lampard’s side, who have not won away since the start of
October. But they may just be resilient enough to keep the score down and go in at half-time all
square.
Key stats
- Man Utd are undefeated in 17 of their last 19 matches against Everton in all competitions
- Man Utd have won their last six games in all competitions
- Everton are winless in their last seven games in all competitions
- Everton have drawn their last two matches with Man Utd at Old Trafford
