Manchester United vs. Everton – England Premier League Match Preview, Old Trafford Manchester, England 9 AM EST Sunday February 10, 2013
by Jason Green, Soccer Handicapper, Predictem.com
Match Odds: Manchester United 1.72 / Everton 4.50 / Draw 3.75
Moneyline: Manchester United -138 / Liverpool +350 / Draw +275
Over/Under: 2.5 goals
With England Premier League leader Manchester United winning their last 2 matches and Manchester City playing to a draw in their last matches Man U now has a pretty comfortable 9-point cushion over 2nd place City. Man U has 3 wins and 1 draw in their last 4 matches and the 3 wins were all by only 1 goal.
Everton is enjoying a solid season, as they sit in 5th place in the EPL table only 3 points behind 4th place Tottenham. They are aiming to finish in the top 4 so they can play in the Champions League next season and they have not been in that competition in some time.
Everton has a solid defense and they need to play good D, as they are facing a Man U squad that has, by far, scored the most goals in the EPL. On the season Man U has scored 60 goals and given up 31 and Everton has scored 40 goals and given up 30. While United has a solid offense they only have 6 goals in their last 4 matches.
Everton already beat Manchester United this season at home 1-0 in the first match of the EPL season. One of the reason’s Man U is not a bigger favorite is the fact that Everton is playing great and they have lost an EPL match since the end of last year. Their offense has scored 7 goals in their last 3 matches.
The Everton defense gave up 3 goals in their last match and they have to shore up that side of the pitch this time around at Old Trafford. Robin Van Persie leads the EPL with 18 goals and Wayne Rooney has found his groove lately and has 10 goals on the season. Obviously, these are the guys the Everton defense has to key on and while they will play them well I think at least 1 of them will find the back of the net in this bog match.
Man U may have a little payback in mind, as they led them at home 4-2 last season, but Everton came back to even the match and the draw may have cost Manchester United the league title.
Everton’s leading goal scorer is Marouane Fellaini, but the squad gets it done as a team with Leighton Baines, Steven Pienaar, Nikica Jelavic, and Victor Anichebe each having at least 4 goals. Fellaini had 2 goals in the last match and he scored late in injury time to preserve a draw. He has scored in the last 2 matches against Manchester United.
In the first match of the season between these 2 teams Man U won the time of possession (69% to 31%), but Everton had more shots on goal. Since Man U has a better midfield there is a good chance they will dominate the ball again.
Man U G David De Gea has taken a lot of heat this season, but he has showed his critics he should be THE man in goal, as he is coming off a clean sheet and leads a defense that has only given up 3 goals in their last 4 EPL matches. Still, Everton is playing well and De Gea will not have a clean sheet in this match.
Manchester United has an Over/Under 2.5 goal record of 6-4 in their last 10 matches and Everton is 7-3.
Manchester United Recent Form
1/16/2013 Manchester United 1 West Ham United 0 (FA Cup)
1/20/2013 Tottenham Hotspur 1 Manchester United 1 (Premier League)
1/26/2013 Manchester United 4 Fulham 1 (FA Cup)
1/30/2013 Manchester United 2 Southampton 1 (Premier League)
2/2/2013 Fulham 0 Manchester United 1 (Premier League)
Everton Recent Form
1/12/2013 Everton 0 Swansea City 0 (Premier League)
1/21/2013 Southampton 0 Everton 0 (Premier League)
1/26/2013 Bolton Wanderers 1 Everton 2 (FA Cup)
1/30/2013 Everton 2 West Bromwich Albion 1 (Premier League)
2/2/2013 Everton 3 Aston Villa 3 (Premier League)
Jason’s Pick to Win the Match: Everton has played Man U very close in the last couple of season and even beat them this season. They will continue their good play and while I think Man U will win by a score of 2-1 I would not be surprised if the match ended in a draw.