Match Preview
With just one win in their six games and no goals in their last three, Everton travel to Old Trafford this Sunday to face a Manchester United team looking to continue Ruben Amorim’s unbeaten start to life as the Red Devils’ manager.
The Portuguese saw his new charges earn a 1-1 draw at Ipswich last weekend before edging Bodø Glimt in the Europa League so this will be his first home Premier League game in charge, with the locals hoping that his “new manager bounce” continues against a team experiencing something akin to the opposite.
Sean Dyche takes his charges along the M62 searching for answers to a run of results that has seen the Blues lose just one in eight but a return for the season of less than a point per game means that they begin the weekend sitting just two points above the relegation zone.
He could finally be able to include Armando Broja in the matchday squad, though, three months after he arrived on loan from Chelsea, if the forward has no reaction from his run-out for the Under-21s against Nottingham Forest on Friday night.
Broja has been patiently working his way back from an Achilles injury that has sidelined him all season so far but he also played 45 minutes for the second string against Watford on Monday.
He played another 70 minutes in the defeat to Forest at Finch Farm while Youssef Chermiti featured for just over an hour and Sean Dyche says that he has already spoken with Broja about the possibility of making his first appearance for the first team at Old Trafford.
“We’re getting there [in terms of getting players back fit],” the manager said during his press conference in Halewood today. “AB (Broja) will get some minutes today, as will Youssef on his journey back to full fitness. For Youssef, this is just his start point, really, but AB is looking really fit, so that’s good.
“We’ll see how he gets on with his minutes today but he’s done a lot of background work and is feeling good. I’ve spoken to him about possibly being involved [this weekend], so we’ll see.
“Seamus (Coleman) at least is getting back on the grass with us so it probably won’t be enough for this weekend but he’s showing signs of getting truly fit, if you like, after an up-and-down time with niggly injuries.
“So, it’s coming. I don’t want to say too much because every time I do, we lose players again, but hopefully they’ll stay fit and keep getting fitter.”
It’s highly unlikely that Broja will start — rather, Dyche may look to bring him on to affect the game late in the second half — so it will once again be a case of choosing between Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto, with the former likely to get the nod once more.
Elsewhere in the line-up, while Seamus Coleman will need more time to get closer to full match fitness, Nathan Patterson made a strong case for inclusion with his outing for the U21s against Watford, despite being harshly sent off for a second bookable offence.
However, with Dyche seemingly reluctant to drop the out-of-form Vitalii Mykolenko and Ashley Young among the most consistent performers this season, the Scot will likely have to kick his heels on the bench.
In midfield, Orel Mangala pressed his own claims for inclusion alongside Idrissa Gueye rather than Abdoulaye Doucouré but whether Dyche will drop one of his more automatic selections remains to be seen.
And finally, with Jesper Lindstrøm again struggling to make an impact in last weekend’s dismal goalless draw against Brentford, it would not be a surprise to see Jack Harrison drafted back in.
Kick-off: 1:30 pm, Sunday 1 December 2024
Referee: John Brooks
VAR: Andy Madley
Last Time: Manchester United 2 – 0 Everton
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Mangala, Harrison, Ndiaye, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin