TWO clubs who have shown some notable signs of improvement in recent weeks meet at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon as Everton entertain Manchester United.
The reverse fixture back in December saw interim Blues boss Duncan Ferguson steer the Toffees to a well-deserved 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
It was Ferguson's fury of emotion that sparked a mood swing on the blue half of Merseyside and Everton's upward progression has continued since serial winner Carlo Ancelotti took the reigns late last year.
Indeed, the Toffees came unstuck away at Arsenal last weekend, however, that setback marked only the second Premier League defeat of the Ancelotti era to date.
Manchester's United recent run of form has brought a sense of optimism back to Old Trafford and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side will make the short trip to Goodison Park off the back of a seven match unbeaten run across all competitions.
Winning the Europa League was widely regarded as the Red Devils best route into next season's Champions League, however, United blew the Premier League's top-four race wide open with a 2-0 success at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.
The Betting Odds
Everton, despite only winning one of their last 10 matches against Man United, go into this showdown as slight favourites at 6/4 with Bet 365.
Another share of the spoils on Sunday pays 9/4 with Bet 365, while a United triumph is priced at 19/10 with the same firm.
The Betting Angles
Man United's upturn in form can be attributed to the defensive solidity that has seen them register three consecutive top-flight clean sheets, not to mention United have only conceded once in their last seven fixtures across all competitions.
However, the Red Devils rigid rearguard will face a stern examination from an Everton outfit who have scored in each of the nine Premier League games that Ancelotti has led them into.
Everton have been setting up with a traditional 4-4-2 formation and their two dangerous forwards – Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison – could have the tools to trouble a United backline that remain far away from being the finished article.
There is little value in backing Everton to net at 1/3 with William Hill, however, backing both teams to score at 4/5 with the same firm looks a lot more attractive given that both teams have got on the scoresheet in seven of the nine games that Ancelotti has overseen thus far.
Man United's mini-revival has also coincided with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes who's eye-catching displays have brought some traditional swagger back to United's style of play.
The Portuguese playmaker has been a standout performer since arriving from Sporting Lisbon, weighing in with two goals and two assists in his five run-outs for the Red Devils so far, and I like the look of the 16/5 (PaddyPower) on offer for Fernandes to have two or more shots on target during this tussle with the Toffees.
The midfield maestro has been hitting United's free-kicks and penalties and it's also worth noting that Fernandes has hit 10 shots in his three Premier League appearances to date – four of which have been on target.
With both sides beginning to find their shooting boots this could also be a good fixture to make use of Bet 365's Bet Builder feature and one combination that takes appeal is the 10/11 (Bet 365) for over 1 goal in the match and for each team to collect a card.
Collectively, there have been two or more goals in 15 of the last 18 Premier League games that these two sides have participated in and a card apiece looks feasible in what should be a full-throttle fixture between two sides who still harbour top-four ambitions.
This English Premier League match between Everton and Man United will be played on Mar 1, 2020 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Everton vs Man United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
