MANCHESTER UNITED are flying under Erik ten Hag and will be confident of keeping their stunning run of form going when crisis club Everton come calling in the FA Cup.
The Dutchman had some teething troubles at Old Trafford but has now stamped his authority on the squad, with United looking a far more cohesive and disciplined unit since the departure of petulant child Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ten Hag made another gutsy call by benching Marcus Rashford at the weekend for poor timekeeping but was rewarded as the striker responded by coming on to score the winner at Wolves.
A midweek battering of Bournemouth then made it six victories in a row for Manchester United and they've only lost once in 16 games since being humbled by neighbours City in the derby back in October.
The Red Devils face Pep Guardiola's men again in their next league game but first have two cup ties to negotiate, with this clash followed by a League Cup game with Charlton.
Man United will be heavy favourites for both those matches and Everton head to Old Trafford with a dark cloud hanging over them after a 4-1 midweek battering by Brighton.
The Toffees bust plenty of coupons with a draw 1-1 at the Etihad last weekend, although I salvaged something with a fouls bet, and that raised hopes ahead of the home game with the Seagulls.
But Frank Lampard saw his side turn in their worst display of the season and it's hard to see the Goodison gaffer surviving unless he can pull off a shock cup win over Manchester United.
How the bookies view it
It's no surprise to see Manchester United as heavy favourites, especially with ten Hag generally fielding strong sides in the cup competitions. The Red Devils are a best 8/15 with Betway while Everton are as big as 13/2 with Unibet and the draw pays 10/3 at Bet365.
Recent head to head
There hasn't been much between these sides in recent years, with the last nine meetings producing three United victories, two Everton wins and four stalemates. This is the second time they have faced off this season, with ten Hag's side winning 2-1 in the Premier League at Goodison. The last three Old Trafford meetings have ended in draws.
Players to watch
Anthony Martial has been playing well as ten Hag's lone striker without getting the rewards in front of goal. He has drawn blanks in his last two outings but could get some joy against Everton's dismal defence and is 15/8 at Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Demarai Gray's form has been a rare chink of light for the Toffees amidst all the gloom. The winger has scored in three of his last five games and is 33/5 with SBK for another goal at Old Trafford.
Anything else catch the eye?
With the way Everton defended in midweek, it looks wise to back goals in this one. Bet 365 are offering 6/4 on Manchester United scoring in both halves and that's pretty appealing while over 2.5 goals is also decent at 10/11 with the same firm.
Backing Everton fouls paid off for me at the Etihad and they could try to stick the boot in to disrupt United's flow. However, I've yet to see any markets for fouls in this cup tie.
Corners are also a good option, with double figures hit on that count in United's last five fixtures. Over 10.5 corners pays evens at Unibet while Manchester United -3 pays 6/5 at Bet365 in the handicap.
This FA Cup match between Manchester United and Everton will be played on Jan 6, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester United vs Everton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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