One story is going to dominate this game and that is the clash between Romelu Lukaku and Wayne Rooney as they both face off against their former clubs. Lukaku moved for a huge fee in the summer from Everton to Manchester United and he is said to be the man that will lead United to glory. Rooney moved the opposite way, back to his childhood club to seemingly play out the final few years of his footballing career.
Aside from the clash between these two, we have two top teams going head to head, with Manchester United looking to hold on to top spot in the Premier League. Everton are currently down in 16th and will want to improve on that, although an away game at Old Trafford is probably not the scene to make that happen.
Manchester United v Everton
Premier League – Old Trafford, Stretford – Sunday, September 17th, 2017, 16:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 17/4 at Ladbrokes |
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Manchester United
EvertonManchester United Form
It has been a very good start to the season for Manchester United, winning three out of four games and they only dropped their first points of the season last weekend. That came in a thrilling 2-2 draw away to Stoke, a game where they also conceded their first goals of the season after what has been a very tight defensive start.
Prior to the draw at Stoke it was three clean sheets for Manchester United, beating West Ham 4-0, Swansea 4-0 and Leicester 2-0, all very impressive victories. The manner of those wins, and how they have shown quality at both ends of the field has led many to believe that the early pace setters could keep up the pace and win the league this season.
The Premier League race looks sure to be very close this season and not slipping up at home could be what wins the title for the lucky team. Chelsea have already suffered defeat at home, and Manchester City allowed Everton a point when they visited, Manchester United need to capitalise and win all, or the majority, of their home games.
Everton Form
Much was expected from Everton this season after they spent a lot of money in the summer. The majority of that came because of the Lukaku move to Manchester United and on paper they look to have spent it well. They haven’t directly replaced Lukaku, instead they have gone for a number of players to replace them and make the team more attacking overall. However, with just two goals from their opening four league games, this approach appears to be taking time to work.
After being beaten on their last two starts by clubs expected to challenge at the top of the Premier League it is clear this will be a difficult game for Everton. They were poor last weekend in their 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham and they have to show more, which may be difficult following another 3-0 defeat in the Europa League on Wednesday.
Team News
All eyes will be on two men in this game, Romelu Lukaku and Wayne Rooney. With Everton struggling I don’t think this is going to be the dream return to Old Trafford that Rooney would love, although Lukaku could have a good day in his first game against his old club.
Everton have conceded six goals in two games over the past week and after seeing that, Lukaku must be relishing the chance to play against this defensive line up. Everton are showing signs of problems at the back and that is something they must address quickly.
Top Betting Tips
Taking the two star attractions away from this game and to me there only looks to be one winner. It is impossible to back Everton in their current form and especially not away from home against Manchester United, this is going to be a very tough game for them.
I can see nothing other than a comfortable win for Manchester United and to take advantage of the better odds available, I will be backing United to win on the handicap market. They are evens with Paddy Power and Stan James at -1 on the handicap, meaning they have to win by two or more goals. That looks very likely when you look at the recent run Everton have been on and I am more than happy to take the price on that to happen again.
This game will have a lot of focus on it for two reasons, but when you take aside Lukaku and Rooney, I can see nothing other than a comfortable victory for Manchester United here.