Out-of-sorts Everton head to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in a high-stakes Premier League clash, looking to spoil Ruben Amorim’s home league debut.
Amorim won his first home game in charge of Man Utd in midweek UEFA Europa League action, with the Red Devils dispatching Bodo/Glimt 3-2 in a topsy-turvy contest.
Premier League enthusiasts who enjoy watching live football on TV await the Portuguese manager’s Old Trafford debut in the Premier League with bated breath.
According to talkSPORT, the encounter between United and Everton will kick off at 1:30 pm, half an hour earlier than the typical early Sunday slot in England’s top flight.
Sean Dyche’s charges come into proceedings amid a rotten patch.
Despite playing with a man up for over 50 minutes, the Toffees failed to beat Brentford at home last weekend, posting their second consecutive 0-0 draw in the Premier League.
Not since February 1982 have the Merseyside strugglers played out three scoreless top-flight stalemates on the trot, but given the circumstances, replicating that feat wouldn’t be a disaster.
Dyche addressed Everton’s notorious scoring problems in the build-up to Sunday’s trip to the Theatre of Dreams after his side failed to get on the scoresheet in their last three league outings.
Lack of Firepower
Everton entered Matchday 13 as the second joint-worst attacking team in the Premier League, having only netted ten goals.
Though five came on the road, Dyche’s men have drawn a blank on their last two league travels despite facing bottom-half West Ham United and rock-bottom Southampton.
Like Everton’s last two match hosts, Man Utd languish in the lower reaches, but the quality is hardly comparable, presenting a much sterner challenge for the Toffees’ misfiring frontline.
Dyche should consider benching out-of-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Once considered Harry Kane’s successor on the national team, the 27-year-old’s form has spiraled into mediocrity in recent seasons.
Calvert-Lewin has already wasted numerous clear-cut scoring chances this season, and perhaps it’s time for the ex-Burnley manager to give Beto the benefit of the doubt.
Embarrassing History
Man Utd’s 41 Premier League victories against Everton account for an all-time Premier League record.
As if that’s not ominous enough, the Toffees have lost their last four league meetings with the Red Devils, including a 2-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture in 2023/24.
That’s Everton’s longest losing streak against United since a run of nine losses between 1999 and 2004.
Bucking that trend at Old Trafford will require a Herculean effort, especially considering the Goodison Park outfit’s last top-flight triumph at this venue dates back to December 2013.
David Moyes was in charge of Man Utd when Bryan Ovideo scored a match-winner for Everton, inspiring them to their only win across their last 31 league visits to this stadium (D8, L22).
Woeful Travellers
Everton toppled Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town 2-0 in mid-October before failing to score on back-to-back road trips to West Ham and Southampton.
However, it’s worth noting that the triumph at Portman Road remains the Toffees’ only league win outside Goodison since December 2023 (D6, L10).
If there’s any consolation, Dyche’s men have rediscovered their defensive resilience after conceding 3+ goals at Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur in their first two away league matches this season.
They have conceded an average of 0.5 goals per game across their last four Premier League travels, with both goals conceded in that sequence arriving beyond the 70th minute.
Prone to late lapses of concentration, Everton have dropped points from winning positions in three of the four top-flight clashes in which they broke the deadlock.
Among the main reasons for their late collapses is the fact they’ve conceded beyond the 75-minute mark on half of their league travels without replying.
Everton Potential Starting XI
(4-2-3-1): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Doucoure, Gueye; Lindstrom, McNeil, Ndiaye; Calvert-Lewin.