Manchester United hope to beat Everton and secure Premier League title
Manchester United enter in to a pivotal phase of their season on Saturday when in-form Everton visit Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are fully aware that outcomes of the upcoming five fixtures in both the premier league and Europe may well decide their destiny this season. United face Schalke in the UEFA Champions league two-legged semi final showdown, with crucial domestic fixtures with Arsenal and Chelsea sandwiched in between.
United, however, begin this make-or-break run against the Toffees on Saturday at the theatre of dreams. A victory in this fixture will see Sir Alex Ferguson’s men go nine points clear at the top of the table, at least momentarily, as Chelsea will tackle West Ham later on Saturday while Arsenal travel to Bolton on Sunday.
United’s past record against Everton suggests that the important weekend clash should tilt in the favor of Man Utd. At Old Trafford, United have won 14 and lost none of their last 17 Premier League games against Everton. They have also won their last 12 top-flight fixtures at home, with three clean sheets secured in their last four league outings. Despite United’s failure to win its last two games, they will be firm favorites going in to Saturday’s encounter with the Toffees.
Everton, however, will make the short trip to Manchester buoyed by a seven-match unbeaten run and full of confidence. They will also try to take inspiration from the reverse fixture at Goodison Park earlier in the season, when they scored twice in stoppage time to earn a 3-3 draw against their North West rivals.
David Moyes, however, will be aware of the fact that his team has struggled to snatch points from Sir Alex Ferguson’s team in the Premier League era. The toffees have won only 4 out of their 37 games against the Red Devils and Everton has always found Old Trafford as a difficult place to visit down the years.
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Manchester United will be without Paul Scholes through suspension due to his red card against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi final. Dimitar Berbatov is also doubtful due to a groin strain, and this may well mean another start for the exciting Mexican forward Javier Hernandez up front with Wayne Rooney. Darren Fletcher is back in training for United but he will miss out on Saturday’s game while Rafael Da Silva could feature for United in the game after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Everton, on the other hand, will still be without inspirational midfield duo of Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta as they have still not recovered completely from their long-term injuries. Louis Saha and Marouane Fellaini will also miss out, both due to ankle injuries. John Heitinga is also doubtful because of the hamstring injury he sustained against Rovers in the last match. However, on the brighter side for David Moyes, Jack Rodwell and Seamus Coleman are likely to start again after the duo featured against Blackburn Rovers last time out.
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Topics: English Premier League, Everton, Manchester United, Match Reports
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