Manchester United will face Everton in an early Saturday kickoff at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Both clubs, who have negаtive atmospheres, are hoping to prevent further decline.
Manchester United were poised to make a significant climb in the league standings and secure a spot in European competitions. However, they were humiliated by their rivals, Manchester City, last weekend, serving as a reminder that Manchester City remаins the dominant force in the city. In the broader context, it seems like Erik ten Hag’s tenure at the club is likely to be short-lived, and there is a prevailing sense that the new owners will want to choose their own leader over the next summer.
The whole atmosphere around Manchester United has been characterized by hostility for quite some time, despite their ability to achieve positive outcomes. The deterioration of Bruno Fernandes has been a prominent topic of conversation in this regard. The team’s performance has been negatively affected by injuries, particularly the absence of Rasmus Hojlund. Additionally, the injuries to Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, and Lisandro Martinez have also had an impact on the team’s performance.
On the other hand, Everton’s spirits were lifted by the restoration of five points after appealing their financial penalties. However, their performance in the league has sharply declined, placing them back in the figҺt against relegation. The Toffees have not won in their last 10 league matches, starting from mid-December. As a result, they now occupy the 16th position in the standings, with just a five-point margin above the relegation zone.
Since the both teams to score option is not worth the rιsk at -170, this is the next most favorable choice. Everton have consistently created several scoring opportunities, accumulating an expected goal (xG) value of above 2.0 in four out of their previous five Premier League matches against clubs other than Manchester City.
The defensive end has emerged as their most significant vulnerability, to the extent that they are unable to capitalize on opportunities enough to compensate for it. The Everton football team has not managed to prevent their opponents from scoring in any of their last five matches. Furthermore, in their matches against Fulham and Aston Villa, they failed to keep a clean sheet while allowing a total of 3.71 expected goals (xG) to be scored against them.
Since December 23, Manchester United has scored in every Premier League game, with all nine matches matching or surpassing a three-goal total. Although the absence of Rasmus Hojlund is disappointing, Marcus Rashford has exceptional finishing skills when provided with the necessary resources to excel.