Lunchtime fixtures have generally been kind to Manchester United, with the Reds winning seven of their previous nine Premier League outings in the curtain raiser, including two against weekend rivals Everton.
The Saturday encounter will be the 107th at Goodison Park and the final before David Moyes and his men depart their home of 133 years at the end of the season.
For purveyors of the domestic game, United have enjoyed many memorable moments at the ground – most recently with Alejandro Garnacho’s sublime Puskas award-winning overhead kick.
However, after a dismal run that has seen Ruben Amorim’s men collapse to 15th position in the table, Moyes has overseen a dramatic overhaul on his return to Merseyside and earned four victories from seven in the hot seat.
One point and one position separate the sides as the Old Trafford faithful hope their underperforming outfit can extend a winning run against the Toffees (six), which began with a 2-1 Goodison victory in October 2022.
But nothing is assured presently, and while history stands in favour of the 20-time English champions, injuries and inconsistencies have returned a barrage of Jekyll and Hyde showings from a side desperately attempting to reclaim its identity.
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Several first-team stars were unavailable during a disappointing North London defeat to Spurs. Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo, Toby Collyer, Christian Eriksen and Amad were all ruled out through injury or illness in the build-up.
Thankfully, a dejected squad appears to be gaining strength as we approach the business end of the season.
“We recover players – Chris [Eriksen], Manu [Ugarte] and Leny return and, with Chris, it was a misunderstanding,” Amorim stated during his pre-match press conference.
“I want to be really clear on that also, because of Chris. He’s healthy and ready to play for many years in a high level. It’s just my limitations explaining the injuries. I want to make this really clear.”
Unfortunately, the former Sporting man must navigate a difficult period without several of his regular starters, with uncertainty regarding return dates a recurring theme.
“It’s hard to know [about the others],” he admitted. “Amad has been for a long time. I think Mase [Mount] continues to make his recovery. Luke [Shaw] continues to make his recovery. I don’t have a day [for his return].
“Toby [Collyer] seems to be the closest one, but not now. Kobbie [Mainoo] is recovering. We have to adapt to use the players we have for the schedule.
“Altay [Bayindir] is making a recovery, Tom [Heaton] is making a recovery,” Amorim continued. “Again, I don’t have a day, but they are recovering.”
A lack of goals has been a distinct worry throughout a troublesome campaign, with Manchester United failing to score in 10 Premier League outings.
Not to be outdone, Everton have gone two further and lead the league with 12. Furthermore, the Toffees have failed to score in the previous four league encounters between the sides.
Despite their troubles in recent years, United are aiming for three consecutive victories at Goodison Park. The last time the Reds accomplished this was September 2007, and a win could see Amorim’s men climb as high as 12th ahead of the midweek visit of Ipswich Town.
How do you see the latest chapter in this Premier League rivalry playing out?
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