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 United are undefeated in 17 of their last 19 matches against Everton in all competitions
- Man United 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 United at Old Trafford
Suggested bets
- Under 2.5 goals 10/11
- Half-time result Draw 13/10
