Everton vs Manchester United: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Louis van Gaal takes his Manchester United side to Goodison Park, knowing that a victory against Everton would mark an important step on United's road to Champions League qualification.
Roberto Martinez's side have been in their best form of the season recently and are unbeaten in their past five Premier League games.
Of course in recent weeks, barring their loss to Chelsea—wherein the performance was such that it seems unlikely to cost them much confidence—United have been in their best form of the season too.
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With both sides looking to dominate possession, this will be an intriguing clash, and should be a good watch for neutral fans.
Date: Sunday, 26 April 2015
Time: 1:30 p.m. BST/8:30 a.m. EDT
Venue: Goodison Park, Liverpool
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK Only) / NBCSN (US Only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK Only) / NBC Sports Live Extra (US only)
Form Lines
Everton: LWWDW
Manchester United: WWWWL
Team News
Stephen Pienaar is most likely unavailable for Everton, according to the club's official website. The report says there is better news for the Toffeemen regarding James McCarthy and Leon Osman, who are "winning their battles against ankle and groin problems respectively."
Former United man Darron Gibson is still unavailable, as are Tony Hibbert and Bryan Oviedo.
From United's point of view, Van Gaal confirmed to MUTV (h/t ManUtd.com) that Michael Carrick, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo are all still injured. Daley Blind is a "question mark" ahead of this game.
The manager added that Rafael, who would most likely not have been involved anyway, is out for the season with a broken rib. Adnan Januzaj was also mentioned, as he had been substituted in the Under-21 game versus Leicester City in which Rafael was injured, but Van Gaal apparently "feels his injury is not serious."
Predicted Line-ups
Manchester United's line-up will depend on the fitness of Blind. If he is available, then the only real doubt in the above line-up is whether Jonny Evans—back from his suspension—will be selected ahead of Paddy McNair. The younger Northern Irishman should get the nod over his more experienced colleague on the basis of form.
If Blind is unavailable then Ander Herrera will once again be deputised into a deeper midfield role. Against Chelsea, Van Gaal chose to play Wayne Rooney in Herrera's vacated space with Radamel Falcao up front. It seems unlikely he will repeat this experiment. Perhaps Juan Mata could fill in for Herrera with Angel Di Maria recalled and used out wide.
For Everton, there are plenty of selection dilemmas in the attacking department, especially if Osman is available. Arouna Kone may also be selected, especially with Romelu Lukaku describing playing alongside him as "like heaven," per the Liverpool Echo's Phil Kirkbride.
Players to Watch
United's loss to Chelsea saw Mata and Herrera separated on the pitch due to Herrera's revised role. If they are reunited on United's right, they will certainly cause problems to Everton's defence.
Plenty of attention will fall on Maroune Fellaini as he returns to Goodison for the first time since his move up the M62. He caused United plenty of problems when playing for the Toffeemen, so fans of the Red Devils will be hoping he can return the favour.
Everton's defenders should be in for a busy afternoon, and it will be interesting to see how their full-backs deal with United's threat down the flanks. From an attacking perspective, Romelu Lukaku was well marshaled by McNair when the two sides met at Old Trafford in October last year and will be looking to impose himself on this game.
Key Battle
Fellaini's clash with Gareth Barry and Phil Jagielka could be an important battlefront in this game. Equally, Lukaku's matchup with United's central defenders could prove pivotal, particularly since David de Gea has been in marginally less imperious form than he was last time the two teams met.
Odds
The odds for the game, at the time of writing, per Odds Shark are:
Everton Win: +266
Draw: +244
Manchester United Win: +120
