Everton resume their Premier League campaign after the international break with a daunting trip to Old Trafford to take on old foes Manchester United.
David Moyes’ side had three goals disallowed against Fulham last time out but still scooped up a morale-boosting 2-0 home win, steering five points clear of the drop zone.
As a result, they headed into the November break equidistant between the top and bottom three on points, albeit with a restored sense of confidence following a three-game winless run beforehand (D1, L2).
Whether the Toffees can go back-to-back for the first time since August remains to be seen as they must defy the odds to claim a rare victory at the Theatre of Dreams.
Priced at 1.80 to maintain their form resurgence, Man Utd will be out to erase the memory of consecutive 2-2 draws against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur before the break.
Ruben Amorim’s side dropped four points despite leading at half-time on both occasions, and Everton could perhaps bank on United’s lapses in concentration, hoping to win at long odds.
Though the bookmakers show little faith in the Toffees, a first win at Old Trafford since December 2013 is not out of the realm of possibility, with a tempting 5.00 price tag attached to an Everton upset.
Newfound confidence
Before the abovementioned stalemates against Forest and Spurs, Man Utd had won three successive league matches, including a stunning 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
With United winning their last four home league outings – as many as in their 13 previous such games (W3, D2, L8) – it’s no wonder that Amorim admitted in the pre-match conference that “we’ve missed Old Trafford.”
Victory feels imperative from the home side’s point of view, as they began the round only a point adrift of fourth-placed Sunderland, largely thanks to their impressive form at this venue.
Man Utd have collected 12 of their 18 Premier League points at Old Trafford, where they’ve only lost one of their last 32 top-flight meetings with Everton (W23, D8).
Interestingly, Moyes was in the home dugout in that fateful 2013/14 fixture.
His counterpart, Amorim, thrashed the Toffees 4-0 on his touchline debut at the Theatre of Dreams last season before being held to a dramatic 2-2 draw in the reverse clash at Goodison Park.
Everton up against history
In addition to their dreadful record on Man Utd’s home ground, Everton have massively struggled against this opposition over the years, picking up just one win in the last 12 league head-to-head duels (D5, L6).
Defying that ominous trend hinges on the visitors’ ability to turn their fortunes around, having won only one of their five Premier League road matches this season (D1, L3).
Everton’s miserable away record isn’t the only source of concern for Moyes, given that his men have only won one of their last nine games across all competitions (D3, L4).
It gets worse when factoring in Everton’s woeful run of results in Monday-held Premier League fixtures. Indeed, they’re on a nine-game winless streak in such matches (D5, L4).
An improvement on this front requires Moyes to shore up his team’s defensive woes, which have seen the Toffees concede in all six competitive away outings this season.
Prediction
With United’s attacking swagger returning, it will be increasingly difficult for Everton to register their first clean sheet on the road this term.
On that basis, the Toffees will probably need to produce a multi-goal performance to have any real chance of upsetting the odds on Monday.
Now would be a perfect moment for marquee summer signing Thierno Barry to get off the mark, with the ex-Villarreal striker admitting he’s “confident he’s close to scoring a first goal for Everton.”
Despite Barry’s dreams and Everton’s hopes, a share of the spoils looks far more likely, and it would also be a decent result for the Merseyside visitors.