David John previews Wednesday's Premier League and fancies West Ham to upset Arsenal at the Emirates.
Recommended bets: Wednesday Premier League
1pt West Ham to beat Arsenal at 8/1 - neither tearing up any trees but Hammers worth a chance
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Arsenal v West Ham (1945BST)
This could turn out to be a wobbly old London derby with neither side in convincing form and the future of both managers remaining an extremely hot topic.
The Hammers are suddenly sinking very quickly after four defeats on the spin and are now just six points clear of safety following another reverse against Hull at the weekend.
A dire run in terms of injuries has hindered Slaven Bilic for some time but his side don’t help themselves as they once again squandered a winning position and the Croat’s tremendous ability from last season to make a telling tactical change seems to have deserted him.
He has received another tentative thumbs-up from the board again in the aftermath but patience is already wearing very thin and a protracted relegation fight could seal his fate sooner rather than later if some momentum is not regathered.
Their opponents romped to a 5-1 success when they met at the London Stadium before Christmas after the hosts capitulated in cringe-worthy fashion as they conceded four goals in the last 18 minutes.
Oh how Arsene Wenger would love to see something approaching that sort of display from the Gunners as their season continues to feebly fizzle out following Sunday’s unconvincing 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City.
In the plus column, they twice managed to haul themselves back level in a strange game but looked distinctly leggy towards the end and never seemed likely to go on and force the winner which might appease the ever-growing anti-Wenger lobby.
Even considering West Ham’s woes, the home side are a shockingly short price and though Bilic has lost that magic in the dugout, he won’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out Arsenal can and will fold very tamely if put under some pressure.
If he and his players clear their heads, take a look at the table and realise they are not in bad shape if this is the start of a relegation struggle, they should go out with some freedom to serve it up to the hosts and make it consecutive victories at the Emirates.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 West Ham
Opta facts:
o Arsenal have lost just one of their last 17 Premier League games against West Ham (W13 D3), though it did come in this exact fixture last season.
o West Ham have won five Premier League away games against Arsenal – they’ve only won more on the road in the competition against Fulham (6).
o Slaven Bilic could become just the third manager to win his first two Premier League visits to face Arsenal after Ron Atkinson and Guus Hiddink.
o Alexis Sanchez has scored four goals and provided one assist in his last two games against West Ham, including a hat-trick in the reverse of this fixture.
o Should the Gunners win it will be their 10th Premier League double over the Hammers, more than they’ve achieved against any other side in the competition (also 9 vs Everton).
o Andy Carroll has scored five Premier League goals against Arsenal – against no side has he scored more in the competition (also 5 vs Swansea and Man City).
o There have been four hat-tricks in Premier League meetings between these sides – Arsenal vs Liverpool is the only fixture to see more in the competition (5).
o Arsenal have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches played in midweek (Tues-Thurs); drawing four and losing three.
Hull v Middlesbrough (1945)
Marco Silva loves playing at home and I was stunned to hear that stat about him having not lost on his own patch with a team he has coached for about a zillion years.
He was at it again on Saturday as Hull resolutely came from a goal down to beat a shaky West Ham and if the Tigers do stay up, it will be down to Silva, pure and simple.
Most teams who survive the threat of relegation find a player to hit form in front of goal or a defence that suddenly stops conceding but this survival bid is all Silva’s own work, showing the intelligence to change a formation that was not working against the Hammers.
His calm demeanour under pressure is a massive plus as well and a refreshing change to see a manager not swearing at officials or bemoaning every minute decision that has gone against them.
There is still much work to do from a position in the bottom three but have proved such a tough nut to crack in 2017 at the KCOM Stadium.
They have been well supported by punters into even money for another three points against second-bottom Boro, who had to settle for a point at Swansea.
It was hardly the most enthralling 95 minutes of football this season but highlighted what a good defensive unit Boro have become with Ben Gibson currently looking about four times better then John Stones.
Interim coach Steve Agnew was still reluctant to stick Alvaro Negredo and Rudy Gestede on from the start and a lack of goals is going to kill any hope of survival unless the pair start to click pretty swiftly.
The combination almost nicked all three points in south Wales but Gestede steered his last-gasp header from Negredo’s superb centre wide of the target and a simply more chances must be created if they are going to avoid the drop.
Adama Traore runs very quickly with the ball but still needs much more end product to be fully effective and I would not be surprised in the slightest to see Silva figure out a simple way to bottle up any threat he poses.
This game will come down to whether Hull can penetrate the visiting backline – they should and may only have to on one occasion.
Prediction: Hull 1-0 Middlesbrough
Opta facts:
o Hull have lost their last two league games against Boro – they’ve never lost three in a row against them before.
o Middlesbrough have won just one of their last nine away league games against Hull, drawing four and losing four.
o The home side has won the last seven league meetings between these sides, since Middlesbrough won 4-2 at the KCOM Stadium in April 2011.
o Hull came from behind to win 2-1 their only previous home Premier League encounter with Middlesbrough in December 2008, with all three goals coming in the final 12 minutes.
o Middlesbrough have drawn more Premier League games 0-0 this season than any other team in the competition (6).
o Stewart Downing could make his 400th Premier League appearance in this match – 202 of those previous 399 games have been for Boro.
o Marco Silva hasn’t lost a home league match as a manager in over three years: (W32 D7 L0) with four clubs (Estoril, Sporting, Olympiakos and Hull).
o Hull have won four of their five Premier League home games under Marco Silva (D1), twice as many as they won under Mike Phelan this season (W2 D3 L5).
o Middlesbrough (9) have kept more clean sheets than any other Premier League team currently in the bottom six.
Southampton v Crystal Palace (1945)
Palace pulled off the surprise of the season by toppling Chelsea and are very much the bottom half’s mover and shaker thanks to four straight victories.
It has been quite a transformation under Sam Allardyce from a team that could barely string two passes together around Christmas and those punters who cashed in on them at the weekend are playing up their winnings with another investment on the Eagles.
Their price has been trimmed to as short as 7/2 and even that could look generous if they come close to a repeat of Saturday’s performance.
There is little doubt though the footballing Gods smiled on them as they repelled attack after attack from Chelsea with shots parried to open space or a team-mate by Wayne Hennessey rather than a Chelsea boot.
Equally, it is never the biggest shock in the world to see a dip in form after such a momentous collective effort while Wilfrid Zaha has an awful lot to live up to all of a sudden having earned a favourable comparison to Eden Hazard.
The Saints got away with one in an evenly-matched derby against Bournemouth thanks to Harry Arter’s missed penalty and although they sit in the relative comfort of 10th place on goal difference, I am sure Claude Puyel would like another couple of quick victories.
They have not played many games lately due to one thing and another and probably entitled to be a bit sharper for last weekend’s outing but two of their last three at St Mary’s have ended in defeat and the picture can still change rapidly with only seven points to third-bottom Hull.
Palace would actually move level on points with their rivals if Allardyce can conjure up win number five in a row but I can see the home side doing enough to thwart that quest and taking a share of the spoils.
Prediction: Southampton 1-1 Crystal Palace
Opta facts:
o Saints have lost just one of their last 13 home league meetings with Crystal Palace (W9 D3), winning the last five in a row.
o After failing to win any of their first 12 Premier League games against Southampton, the Eagles have won two of their last three against them, though both wins have come at Selhurst Park.
o Sam Allardyce has never lost a Premier League game at St Mary’s Stadium, though six of his eight visits there have ended level (W2).
o Southampton haven’t lost both league games in a season against Crystal Palace since 1990-91, when the Eagles finished third in the old First Division.
o Of teams Southampton have faced 10+ times in the Premier League, their joint-highest win % is against Crystal Palace (60%, level with Swansea).
o Crystal Palace have won their last four Premier League games; they’ve only won five in a row in the competition on two other occasions (April 2014 and December 1992).
o Sam Allardyce hasn’t won five consecutive matches in the Premier League as a manager since December 2006 while in charge of Bolton Wanderers.
o Crystal Palace have won all four of their Premier League games in which Mamadou Sakho has played, keeping three clean sheets in the process.
o Saints have won just once in their last five Premier League games at St. Mary’s, losing three (D1).
Swansea v Tottenham (1945)
The chance has arrived for Tottenham to apply some more pressure on Chelsea with a very winnable away fixture at the Liberty Stadium.
While the leaders focus on Manchester City, Spurs could stretch their winning streak to five and are odds-on chances to complete the double this season over Swansea.
This is arguably an easier assignment than Saturday’s visit to Burnley and they passed that test with flying colours despite being closely matched by the Clarets until Eric Dier broke the deadlock in the second half.
They were well on top by the closing stages with Dele Alli coming close on a couple of occasions to stretching the margin of victory and certainly maintained their part of the bargain after Chelsea slipped up.
Swansea could not find a way through against a stubborn Middlesbrough defence on Sunday and don’t look quite the same team without Fernando Llorente to create problems in the opposition penalty box.
Jordan Ayew is Paul Clement’s latest solution in a forward role but was pretty comfortably marshalled and he I don’t expect him to get a great deal of change from Tottenham’s miserly back four.
They remain capable of some neat and tidy approach work involving Gylfi Sigurdsson, Tom Carroll (ex Spurs) and marauding wing-back Martin Olsson but Llorente’s continued absence to finish it all off is hurting Clement’s side, who have gone three games without a win.
Tottenham smashed five past this rival in December in what was the beginning of the end for Bob Bradley – they are stronger under the new manger but still not good enough to turn around such a big discrepancy.
Prediction: Swansea 0-2 Tottenham
Opta facts:
o Swansea have never beaten Tottenham in 11 attempts in the Premier League, drawing two and losing nine.
o Tottenham have scored in all 11 of their Premier League fixtures against Swansea, netting 25 goals in total (2.3 per game).
o Indeed, of all teams Tottenham have faced 10+ times in the Premier League, they have their highest win rate (82%) and goals-per-game average (2.6) against Swansea.
o Both sides have scored in all five previous Premier League meetings between these sides at the Liberty Stadium.
o Christian Eriksen has been directly involved in nine goals in his six Premier League games against Swansea (5 goals, 4 assists), more than he has against any other side in the competition.
o The Swans have conceded 63 goals in their 30 Premier League matches this term; all previous seven teams with 63+ goals conceded after 30 games of a season were relegated.
o Swansea have failed to score in their last two Premier League games. They last failed to net in three successively in May 2013.
o Dele Alli has been involved in 11 goals in 11 Premier League games for Tottenham in 2017 so far (8 goals, 3 assists).
Chelsea v Manchester City (2000, BT Sport 1)
Chelsea’s shock defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend might have briefly breathed new life into the pursuing pack at the top of the Premier League but normal service can be resumed with the hosts fancied to sweep aside one of their rivals at Stamford Bridge.
It is hardly the end of the world for Chelsea as the Eagles took two early chances well and spent the rest of the game with their tin hats on as attack after attack threatened the visitors’ penalty area.
They could have nicked a third on the break but it can’t be classed as an off day from Antonio Conte’s side and was simply a case of not finding a way through either down to their own wastefulness or Wayne Hennessey springing into action during a career performance.
One defeat seems to have observers suddenly picking holes in a team that 10 minutes before kick-off on Saturday they were ready to hand the title to with a bow on top and the current Chelsea simply don’t become bad overnight.
There may be a slight worry the goals from Diego Costa have dried up (missed a sitter with a header from three yards) a little while the absence of Victor Moses at wing-back left Chelsea vulnerable to pacy breaks on the counter-attack – a clear and present threat once more when hosting City.
But Conte has not won a plethora of league titles during his career by resting on his laurels and any necessary tweaks needed to help bolster what remains an excellent defensive unit will be made.
City flashed their usual brilliance in patches against Arsenal but the fact they twice squandered a lead and could not put the Gunners away in a dominant opening spell highlights their own fragility.
The game rather petered out as well midway through the second half suggesting there were more than a few weary bodies amongst Pep Guardioala’s men and a day less to recover than Chelsea has to be an issue for what will most likely be a high-tempo encounter.
This looks more of a mental rather than a physical or tactical test for Chelsea but is one any potential champion has to pass at some stage of the season before being crowned.
The hosts at odds-against look a decent bet considering all the flaws City still have to deal with so his can be the night Chelsea retake command and end any flickering hope for the visitors from up north.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Manchester City
Opta facts:
o Chelsea haven’t lost back-to-back home league games vs the Citizens since December 1983.
o Pep Guardiola has never previously lost both league games against a single opponent in a season as a manager in his career so far.
o After winning eight Premier League games in a row against Manchester City between 2005 and 2009, the Blues have won just five of their last 15 against them in the top-flight (D3 L7).
o There have been four red cards in the last five league meetings between these sides, with three being shown to Man City players.
o Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick in this exact fixture last season as City won 3-0 – one of just three opposing players to hit a treble in a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge (Kanu in October 1999 and Robin van Persie in October 2011).
o Sergio Aguero has scored six Premier League goals against Chelsea, with four of those coming at Stamford Bridge.
o Antonio Conte hasn’t lost consecutive home league defeats as a manager since November 2009 while in charge of Atalanta.
o Chelsea haven’t lost back to back Premier League games at Stamford Bridge since November 2011 under Andre Villas-Boas.
o Manchester City have lost just one of their last six Premier League games in London (W3 D2).
Liverpool v Bournemouth (2000)
Many congrats to Jurgen Klopp and his team for a pretty convincing success in the Merseyside derby as Liverpool had too much nous and a bit of extra quality in the end than a youthful Everton at the weekend.
An interesting test follows hot on the heels after this duo fought out a memorable encounter in early December which saw the Cherries fight back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 thanks to three goals in the final 14 minutes.
It brought a whole lot of flak in the direction of Klopp and ended a lengthy unbeaten run for the Reds at the same time but the bookmaking fraternity are not expecting any such silliness for the return at Anfield with the hosts chalked up at no bigger than 2/5.
This is not an entirely foregone conclusion though with the visitors unbeaten in four games and seemingly climbing their way to safety nicely.
Their position could have been even stronger as Eddie Howe had his head in his hands once again on the touchline while he watched his side squander a golden opportunity to beat Southampton when Harry Arter skied his penalty kick over the bar on Saturday evening.
I was more than impressed thought with their overall performance in the second half at St Mary’s and a point to start off a tough run of fixtures which includes Chelsea and Tottenham up next was solid return.
They should take some heart as well from the way they ground out another draw at a hostile Old Trafford and back-to-back clean sheets against Swansea and now the Saints suggests something must be going right at last in the back four.
I expect Liverpool will win but this won’t be a stroll by any means with any physical hangover from the Everton game likely to be felt with such a quick turnaround while Sadio Mane’s name has been added to an injury list which includes Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson.
That pair are now in Miami nursing their wounds but the remaining squad is good enough to pick up the slack at home once again and build on the derby victory as they chase a place in the top four.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Bournemouth
Opta facts:
o Liverpool have won all four of their previous home meetings with Bournemouth in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and conceding twice.
o Bournemouth won the reverse of this fixture 4-3 in December, despite trailing 1-3 going into the final 15 minutes.
o All 11 goals in the three previous Premier League meetings between these sides have been scored by different players.
o Philippe Coutinho has assisted six Premier League goals this season, his second best tally in a Premier League campaign (7 in 2013/14).
o Liverpool have won four consecutive Premier League games at Anfield for the first time under Jurgen Klopp; they last won five in a row in April 2014 (a run of six wins under Brendan Rodgers).
o Liverpool and Bournemouth have each scored seven goals from the penalty spot this season, the joint-most in the Premier League.
o Liverpool have scored and conceded in 21 of their 30 Premier League games this season (70%); more often than any other side.
o The Cherries are unbeaten in each of their last four matches in the Premier League (W2 D2), this after a run of four consecutive defeats.
Posted at 0930 BST on 04/04/17.
Recommended bets: Tuesday Premier League
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Burnley v Stoke (1945BST)
Here we have a couple of sides that suffered 2-0 defeats over the weekend and the Potters were particularly pathetic in the way they rolled over at Leicester.
Manager Mark Hughes held his hands up and admitted it was a bad day with his players half-a-yard off the pace but getting through the final eight games of the season is threatening to become a laborious effort as they continue with a rather dull holding pattern in mid-table.
Hughes needs to motivate his flagging squad somehow on the back of a record that now reads six defeats from eight away from the Bet365 Stadium while injuries to the influential Geoff Cameron, a brittle Xherdan Shaqiri and now Peter Crouch are not exactly helping the situation.
“Everything we did at Leicester, we need to do differently,” was the frank assessment of captain Ryan Shawcross so it even seems the time has arrived to rip up the tactics manual and start from scratch again.
It is no real surprise to see them priced up at 12/5 (Betfair Sportsbook) to pick up all three points and they would have been a bit bigger still if the Clarets had not stumbled at home to Tottenham.
While the visitors turgidly chip away in a bid to get to 40 points, Sean Dyche’s side are not entirely safe as all the clubs directly below them bar Sunderland picked up points over the weekend.
That should have the home side on their mettle again at the very least in a fixture that looks far more winnable after the gulf in class between them and Spurs was exposed once they fell behind following Eric Dier’s tidy finish from close range.
Just two attempts on target was a disappointing return from Burnley but a more vigorous performance here against a lesser-quality opponent could see them climb right up to 10th if other results go their way on the night.
I think we all know a positive start could suck any life out of a floundering Stoke outfit and I can see Burnley rising to the challenge by finding the net before bet365’s under/over line of 57 minutes on the way to a narrow but important success.
Prediction: Burnley 1-0 Stoke
Opta facts:
o Burnley have won just one of their five previous Premier League meetings with Stoke (D2 L2), losing to the Potters in their first ever game in the competition in August 2009.
o Stoke won the reverse of this fixture 2-0 in December. They haven’t done the league double over Burnley since the 1978-79 Second Division campaign.
o Eight of the nine goals scored in Premier League meetings between these sides have been in the first-half of games, including all six of Stoke City’s strikes.
o Burnley have failed to score in three of their last four home league games against the Potters, with the last three between them at Turf Moor all ending in draws.
o Stoke City have played 19 Premier League away games in midweek (Tues-Thurs) – in these 19 matches, they have won just seven points (W1 D4 L14).
o The Clarets have collected just nine Premier League points in 2017, with only Sunderland (6) and Middlesbrough (5) picking up fewer.
o Burnley haven’t lost back to back home league games since April 2015, when they lost to Arsenal and Leicester on their way to relegation out of the Premier League.
Leicester v Sunderland (1945)
Winning runs in the Premier League are as much about playing teams at the right time and Leicester’s huge upswing has been down to a handy stretch of fixtures on which to build some confidence.
They may be unstoppable at the moment whoever they take on but the schedulers have done them another favour with a rapidly-sinking bottom side next up at the King Power Stadum.
It has become increasingly clear that Claudio Ranieri was the problem for the players as Craig Shakespeare’s cliché-riddled post match interviews suggest he is not a man blessed with inspirational leadership qualities but it does seem to be falling into place – all that matters for the owners as they pull clear of danger.
Stoke’s insipid effort gave them a helping hand on Saturday and it looks like being a case of getting past visiting goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who did his best to keep out Watford but the dam finally broke when Miguel Britos nodded home.
That leaves David Moyes and the Black Cats eight points from safety and the fact their two best chances fell to a wasteful Adnan Januzaj rather than Jermain Defoe – or even Fabio Borini – sums up how things are going at the moment.
Moyes must be tearing his hair out as Defoe missed training on Sunday after picking up a knock at Vicarage Road and his potential absence means the odds of bringing an end to a run of five games without a goal has increased dramatically.
Leicester are hot favourites to keep on rolling under Shakespeare and could well bound into the top half of the standings with three more points – one goal might be enough against the toothless visitors but the outstanding Pickford can keep the scoreline respectable.
Prediction: Leicester 1-0 Sunderland
Opta facts:
o Leicester have never lost a Premier League home match against Sunderland, winning four and drawing two of their six meetings.
o However, Sunderland have won two of their last four visits to the King Power Stadium (D1 L1), with the victories coming in the Championship in January 2007 and November 2004.
o Jamie Vardy has scored three Premier League goals against Sunderland – only against Liverpool (5) has he scored more in the competition (also 3 vs Arsenal, Man City and Stoke).
o Vardy has scored in three of his last four Premier League games (four goals) having scored in just three of the 23 games prior to this run.
o Jermain Defoe has scored four goals in his last five Premier League appearances against Leicester.
o Defoe has scored five penalties for Sunderland in the Premier League this season, with only Kevin Phillips in 1999/2000 (6) scoring more in a single season.
o Indeed, those five penalties have accounted for 21% of Sunderland’s 24 Premier League goals - only Crystal Palace in 2004/05 had a higher share of their goals scored by penalties (27%, 11 of 41) in a season.
o Craig Shakespeare is the first English manager to win his first four Premier League games – only two managers in the competition’s history have ever won more than their opening four, with Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola both winning their opening six games.
o Leicester have scored 11 goals in their four league games under Shakespeare, as many goals as they scored in their last 14 Premier League games under Claudio Ranieri.
Watford v West Brom (1945)
Bravo to the Baggies for a ‘bend but not break’ display at Old Trafford as manager Tony Pulis looks a shoo-in for the award this season when it comes to getting the most out of the resources at his disposal.
They may have looked pretty lame against Crystal Palace and Everton but four points taken from Arsenal and Old Trafford since is an impressive haul and sets them up nicely for an easier task on paper away at Vicarage Road.
A seasonal tally of 50 points is a realistic target and the key will be for Pulis to ensure his players don’t let their well-organised standards slip as this is exactly the sort of game I have found in the past where they stand directly on the banana skin.
Let’s not pretend the Hornets can produce similar levels of quality to Arsenal and United but they are a tricky rival with home advantage buoyed at the weekend by an important if scrappy 1-0 success over Sunderland.
That ended a spell of four games without a victory and boosted them up to 12th in the table while boss Walter Mazzarri could welcome back possible West Brom summer target Troy Deeney to his starting XI after a bout of sickness.
Both teams head into this game in decent spirits and it is hard to split them in all honesty as Watford don’t lose too many at home while the way the visitors give their all for each other counts for plenty – a low-scoring stalemate look an obvious outcome.
Prediction: Watford 1-1 West Brom
Opta facts:
o Watford haven’t won a home league game against West Bromwich Albion since November 1994 (1-0), drawing four and losing four since then.
o Indeed, West Brom have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four league visits to Vicarage Road, conceding just once in the other match (W2 D2).
o The Baggies won the reverse of this fixture 3-1, last completing the league double over Watford in the 2003-04 Championship campaign.
o Watford have scored a higher share of their Premier League goals in the opening fifteen minutes of games than any other side (24%, eight of 34 goals); the second highest share is West Brom on 21% (8 of 39 goals).
o The Baggies have scored 14 Premier League goals from corners this season, four more than any other side (West Ham on 10) – four of their last six goals have been scored as a result of a corner, with defenders Craig Dawson and Gareth McAuley scoring two apiece.
o Both McAuley and goalkeeper Ben Foster are yet to miss a single minute of Premier League football this season – no Baggies player has ever achieved this in a previous campaign.
o West Brom have only lost two of their 16 Premier League games this season against teams currently occupying the bottom half (W9 D5).
o Meanwhile, Watford have lost 10 of their 14 Premier League games against teams currently in the top half (W3 D1) and haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of those games.
Manchester United v Everton (2000, BT Sport 1)
Saturday’s Merseyside derby was a huge let down for Everton fans and backers alike as they looked well out of their depth for long spells at Anfield.
Ronald Koeman’s decision to give some promising youngsters the nod ahead of more experienced heads backfired with Matthew Pennington and Mason Holgate exposed on such a testing stage while key components Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaka should be ashamed by their personal contributions.
Lukaku was a virtual no-show as Dejan Lovren barely gave him a sniff in terms of any goal threat while it became clear from an early stage that Barkley had confused what he thought was enthusiasm and gusto with empty-headed recklessness.
The spotlight will be very much on the pair again as they attempt to make amends down the road at Old Trafford but the layers feel there will not be much chance for an immediate tonic with them priced up around the 11/2 mark for all three points.
That said, this is a Manchester United side unable to get out of its own way at the moment as they huffed and puffed but failed to blow down a resolute West Brom defence on Saturday.
They remain outside of the top four and I stick by the theory that an increasingly tetchy Jose Mourinho is saving his biggest push at this stage of the season for Europe and that particular avenue back into the Champions League.
You can’t question United’s endeavour at the weekend with almost 75% of the possession but chances to win the game were either wasted or thwarted by Ben Foster so the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from suspension could not have come at a better time with them only scoring more than once on a solitary occasion since the Swede’s Bournemouth shenanigans.
Some guile from the creative Ander Herrera will be available as well to Mourinho while his opposite number looks like being without midfield anchor Morgan Schneiderlin again for what would have been an interesting trip back to his old employers.
This match hinges on what response Everton produce and whether Barkley and Lukaku have the strength of personality to step up and deliver after Saturday’s hugely disappointing efforts.
I can see them competing up to a point but the hosts with Zlatan back to show the way are fancied to claim a narrow victory.
Prediction: Manchester United 2-1 Everton
Opta facts:
o Manchester United have lost just one of their last 23 home league meetings with Everton (W18 D4), losing 0-1 in December 2013 under David Moyes.
o Ronald Koeman is looking to become the first manager in Premier League history to win three consecutive away games at Old Trafford.
o The Red Devils have won 33 Premier League games against Everton, the second highest total for one club beating another in the competition (Man Utd 34 vs Aston Villa).
o The Toffees have scored just eight goals in their last 12 league visits to Old Trafford, with four of these coming in a single game in April 2012 (4-4).
o 45 different players have scored a Premier League goal for Manchester United against Everton – only Chelsea have seen more against a single club in the competition (50 vs Spurs).
o Anthony Martial has scored twice and assisted another two goals in four matches against Everton in all competitions, including a 90th minute winner in the FA Cup semi-final last season.
o Manchester United have drawn eight of their 15 league games at Old Trafford this season (W6 D1). It’s the first time they’ve drawn eight home league games in a season since 1980/81 (11 draws).
o Romelu Lukaku has scored three goals in eight Premier League games against the current top six this season, compared to 18 goals in 21 appearances against the rest of the division.
o Indeed, the Belgian striker has scored in just one of his 10 previous Premier League games against Man Utd – netting a hat-trick for West Brom at the Hawthorns in May 2013.
Posted at 1450 BST on 03/04/17.
