MATCH PREVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED V EVERTON
Scene-setter: After the international break, Manchester United will be looking to build on the encouraging derby win over Manchester City last time out. Results permitting, a win could see the Reds leapfrog West Ham United and City into fourth place in the Barclays Premier League table and put Louis van Gaal's side in a prime position to secure Champions League football for another year.
Form guide: Winning away at the Etihad Stadium was United’s first victory in four games in all competitions. Before that, the Reds were knocked out of the Europa League after two disappointing results against Liverpool, drew 1-1 at home to West Ham in the Emirates FA Cup and lost 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion in the league, so the 1-0 triumph at City was much needed. Everton, on the other hand, have struggled for consistency all season under Roberto Martinez and win for them would be just as important. While the 12th-placed Toffees' home form has been unpredictable, they have been strong on the road and make the short trip to Old Trafford having lost only once away from Goodison Park in the league all season. The Merseysiders' last four results perhaps tell the tale of their season: a 3-1 win away to Aston Villa, followed by a 3-2 home defeat to West Ham, a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the FA Cup and a 0-2 loss at home to Arsenal.
Latest team news: German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is set to miss the game with a knee injury sustained on international duty, the full extent of which is yet to be determined. Ander Herrera and Ashley Young could return to the squad after recovering from groin problems, while Phil Jones remains a doubt. Wayne Rooney expects to return to training next week, but Luke Shaw and Will Keane are still unavailable. John Stones is expected to be available for Everton, after picking up a slight knock on England duty in midweek, while Bryan Oviedo should be fit after missing two games through illness. Kevin Mirallas is back from suspension but Gareth Barry serves the second of his two-game ban. Steven Pienaar, Tony Hibbert and Tyias Browning are all absent through injury.
View from the dressing room: "We must make sure we win the game against Everton. We have had some time to recover and to enjoy the victory over City with the international break but, against Everton, it will be even bigger than the derby because if we want to do something [in the league] we need to confirm it with another win." – Morgan Schneiderlin
Prediction from an ex-Red: Former United defender Paul McGrath expects a tight affair. "I think United will win but it will be a close game," he told United Review. "It has to be the same as against Manchester City away from home – I’m hoping United will take something from that game and I’m going for 2-1 to us."
View from the opposition: Everton defender Bryan Oviedo is hoping to make more memories this weekend, as he reminisced on his late goal three years ago, which gave Everton a first win at Old Trafford in 21 years. "There are good memories for me from playing at Old Trafford, and I hope this time we can repeat them!" he said. "Hopefully we can win what is a very important game. I know the game has a lot of tradition around it."
Prediction from an ex-Toffee: Former Everton forward Graeme Sharp believes the Blues' record on their travels could be the difference on the day. "Away from home, Everton have been great – we’ve lost only one game, which is a fantastic record," he said. "So I expect us to score and I’ll plump for an Everton victory by the odd goal." Read the full interviews with McGrath and Sharp in Sunday's United Review.
Danger man: Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku will be Everton’s biggest threat, as he has been all season for Martinez’s men. Lukaku is the Premier League’s third-top goalscorer, behind only Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, having netted an impressive 18 goals; he has also contributed six assists. The former Chelsea hitman has hit five goals in his last five games in all competitions for Everton, as well as scoring in midweek for Belgium against Portugal.
Sub-plots: The reverse fixture was one of United’s best performances all season, with the Reds winning 3-0 at Goodison Park in October, and this weekend is the perfect opportunity for van Gaal’s side to complete a first league double over Everton since the 2007/08 season. This will also be former United goalkeeper Tim Howard’s last visit to Old Trafford as a player, after he agreed to join Colorado Rapids when his contract expires in the summer. Howard might not feature after struggling for game time in recent months, but the American is expected to be named on the bench for Everton.
Referee: Andre Marriner will be the man in charge on Sunday. United have not won a league game officiated by Marriner since January 2013, losing the last five games, including last season’s 3-0 defeat at Goodison Park. Conversely, Everton have won their last four games with the West Midlands man in charge and scored 15 goals in the process. This season, Marriner has issued five red cards and 92 yellow cards in 33 games.
Rivals watch: In Saturday's 15:00 BST kick-offs, Arsenal host Watford, Man City travel to Bournemouth and West Ham welcome Crystal Palace, before Tottenham Hotspur travel to Liverpool for the evening game at 17:30 BST. Leaders Leicester City are in action at home to Southampton on Sunday (13:30 BST).
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