Manchester United mark their return from the November international break with a Monday night Premier League clash against Everton at Old Trafford.
FORM
United went into that pause with a 2-2 draw against
Tottenham Hotspur in north London, with Matthijs de Ligt rescuing a point with a header at the death, after Richarlison thought he’d notched a stoppage-time winner at the other end, moments earlier.
That dramatic last-minute intervention saved our current five-game unbeaten run, which United be looking to extend to six with the Toffees’ visit to M16 on Monday (24 November).
The Reds approach Monday night’s fixture on a five-game unbeaten run, having recorded victories against Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion, before being held to consecutive draws on the road against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur.
Amorim’s charges have made Old Trafford something of a fortress since the beginning of the new term, having beaten every side other than league leaders Arsenal at the Theatre of Dreams so far, a record we’ll be looking to extend for the Toffees’ visit.
Moyes’ men make the trip from Merseyside in slightly patchier form, with a loss against Spurs, a draw against Sunderland and a win against Fulham in their last three outings.
Their away form is a point of particular concern for the club, having registered just one win on the road in all competitions, that victory coming against last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers in the league, who beat them a few weeks later at the same venue in the Carabao Cup.
That is a factor United will hope to capitalise on, as we go in search of three points on Monday.
TEAM NEWS
Benjamin Sesko, Harry Maguire and Casemiro were all forced off the pitch with injury at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in our last outing.
The latter has been in action since with Brazil, playing a full 90 minutes against Senegal at Emirates Stadium, a game that saw him score with an excellent curled finish, before turning out for an hour a few days later against Tunisia in Lille, suggesting that he should be available for Monday’s game.
However, Sesko missed international duty with Slovenia, and Amorim said that both he and Maguire are not ready to return in his press conference on Friday afternoon. Sesko will be out for some weeks.
“(Sesko) is going to be a few weeks out,” Amorim said. “Not that serious, we have to be careful. He is feeling better.”
Kobbie Mainoo was absent from our last matchday squad, and Lisandro Martinez is still working through his recovery plan from a serious knee injury. Amorim noted that Mainoo had missed more training in his recovery last week, but didn’t rule out his return over the weekend ahead of the Monday night game.
Jarrad Branthwaite, who has been out since pre-season, and Nathan Patterson, who had a “small procedure” on his groin towards the end of last month, are the only expected absentees for Everton, as things stand, unless any further concerns are raised by David Moyes in his meeting with the media in the build-up to the game.
LINEUP PREDICTIONS
Manchester United will almost certainly go with Mattijs De Ligt, who has been excellent this season, and Lenny Yoro with Maguire still on the mend, and Luke Shaw is still fit to slot into the left centre back slot. Noussair Mazraoui made a return at wing back, but is another back-three option should Amorim see the need for more of an attacking approach on the wings.
Amad and Bryan Mbeumo both played a part in the opening goal at Spurs despite playing out of their regular positions, but a return to wingback for Amad would suit United, who are taking on a less progressive team at home.
With Sesko out of action, there could be a return of Mason Mount to a front three alongside Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo, which would assist in final third possessions as United try and break down the Toffees.
