It’s been a promising start to the Premier League for both Everton and Manchester United. The former side has one win and one draw through two matches, continuing their brand of strong defense. The latter side is taking a step forward under manager Michael Carrick and has showcased its immense talent. After a chaotic deadline day, these two squads have to buckle up and prepare for a tough match.
Manchester United are +120 moneyline favorites for this one on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a draw available at +255. Everton’s moneyline is set at +210.
Everton vs. Manchester United Prediction, Pick
All eyes were on Everton during the end of the transfer window, and for none of the right reasons. A swap deal between Tottenham Hotspur and the Toffees surrounding Iliman Ndiaye and Richarlison fell apart; Ndiaye was soon sold to Manchester City. After that, Everton turned to AS Monaco’s Folarin Balogun as a striker purchase, selling current backup striker Beto to Fiorentina. Though the Beto sale went through, Balogun walked away at the last moment. After a failed attempt to loan in Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United, Everton were left with no backup striker; they also sold Nathan Patterson and Tim Iroegbunam, further complicating their depth problems.
As things stand, Everton have 18 outfield players. They have one spare center back and one spare fullback, four backup central midfielders (for three spots), one backup winger on both flanks, and no backup striker. With reports that the club is not interested in free agents, it’s going to be a long haul until January, when transfers open back up. Considering the minimum 17 matches they will play between now and the New Year, the depth of David Moyes’ club will be sorely tested.
It was a much less eventful deadline week for United. A loan for Zirkzee falling through is extremely light drama, all things considered, and Michael Carrick’s squad has been set since early in the summer. So far, the big change has been swapping out their holding midfielders for a new group of Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba, and Andrey Santos. Results are mixed so far, but it can’t be worse than Casemiro was last season. And it sure hasn’t affected the play of Bruno Fernandes, who is picking up where he left off last season.
So far, the attack has looked excellent for United. They’ll need every bit of excellence against this stout Everton defense, which has continued its elite form to begin the year, surrendering one goal in three competitive matches. Fernandes always answers the call, but he’s going to need help from Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford in the wide areas, and for Matheus Cunha to finish his chances.
Everton will have to dig deep in attack in this one. With Ndiaye gone, Everton are without their top take-on winger. Jack Grealish will be asked to fill that void, one he is quite capable of doing, but it’s still a heavy burden. With no backup striker, Thierno Barry has to be careful to save his legs for a full 90 minutes; conceivably, Charly Alcaraz is the only viable backup at the top, but not a very good option. A heavy burden falls on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to be a danger man from the center; his passing and shooting have swung many a match for the Toffees since he joined the squad.
The Toffees’ starting XI is stout and talented, but it’s hard to see them survive a full 90 minutes against a deeper, more talented United squad. The blunders of the transfer deadline should come back to haunt them immediately, as they run out of gas down the stretch and ultimately concede all three points.
