What: English Premier League
Who: Everton vs Manchester United
When: Sunday 20th April, 2014, at 16:10 UK Time
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England
Midweek Disappointment For Toffees
Everton will try to overcome midweek disappointment when they host Manchester United at Goodison Park. Roberto Martinez’s side were left reeling by a 3-2 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday. That loss means that Arsenal are back in the driver’s seat for the fourth and final Champions League place.
It was a terrible night for Toffees fans who were expecting nothing less than three crucial points against the London side. But it was Palace who produced a superb smash-and-grab performance to stun the blue half of Liverpool. While Arsenal are certainly not a lock to win all their remaining fixtures, their schedule has appeared to be the easier of the two sides and most observers expected Everton’s other matches to be the ones that offered the greatest difficulty.
Martinez couldn’t hide his regret at giving up three vital points against Palace. "It's a real disappointment, a result which is hurtful", the Everton boss said. "The first half we were fearful, the way we conceded the first goal shows that. They didn't have the threat to score three goals. We conceded bad goals. The reaction in the second half was ourselves, that was perfect and we were unfortunate not to get something out of the game, but we get ready for the next four games.”
While Martinez was clearly unhappy with the loss, the Spaniard has already called for a reaction from his team when Manchester United come to town. A victory would keep Champions League hopes alive, while a draw or defeat would give Arsenal a massive advantage with only a few matches left.
European Push Only Option
David Moyes will return to his former club as he visits Goodison Park for the first time since he became Manchester United manager. It has been a tumultuous season for the Scottish boss, who has endured some serious struggles with his new club. The Red Devils were out of the title race before the new year and have long since dropped off the Champions League places. A decent run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League was not enough to totally convince many that Moyes is still the right man for the job.
The only thing left to fight for in the last four matches of the season is a place in next season’s Europa League. That seems like a major drop for a club that have only known Champions League football for most of the last 20 years. Still, for purposes of pride and prestige, it would be better for the club to at least be involved in continental football next season according to goalkeeper David de Gea.
"We are Manchester United and it's our duty to win every game we take part in”, the Spaniard said. “That's what we'll try to do now because we want to finish as high as we can in the league, ensure we're playing in a European competition next season and show we are still around and that we will never give in."
De Gea is certainly striking the right chords. Manchester United owe it to their supporters after such a disappointing season to finish strongly and salvage something from this campaign.
Recent form
Everton:
Everton 3-0 Arsenal (06/04; Premier League)
Sunderland 0-1 Everton (12/04; Premier League)
Everton 2-3 Crystal Palace (16/04; Premier League)
Manchester United:
Manchester United 1-1 Bayern Munich (01/04; Champions League)
Newcastle 0-4 Manchester United (05/04; Premier League)
Bayern Munich 3-1 Manchester United (09/04; Champions League)
Key absences
Everton: Phil Jagielka (doubt); Steven Pienaar; Lacina Traore; Bryan Oviedo; Arouna Kone; Darron Gibson
Manchester United: Robin van Persie; Rafael; Jonny Evans (doubt)
Players to watch
Everton – Steven Naismith: While the focus most of the season with regard to Everton’s attacking prowess has been on Romelu Lukaku, Naismith looks reinvigorated this term under Martinez. The 27-year-old Scotland international has thirteen goals in all competitions and his performances since the turn of the new year in particular have been of a very high quality. Able to operate through the middle or on the flanks, Naismith’s versatility and goals have been key to Everton this season.
Manchester United – Juan Mata: While most will be holding judgment on Mata’s influence at Old Trafford until next term, the early signs are promising for Manchester United. The Spanish playmaker has three goals and four assists since coming over from Chelsea in January. The last few matches of the season will be important for Mata to continue learning the ins and outs of his team-mates. With such a superb player in their squad, Manchester United supporters will be excited at how good Mata will become with a full pre-season under his belt.
Match Prediction
Suddenly Everton’s top four hopes look to be in serious jeopardy after that midweek defeat to Crystal Palace. That result looks to be a prime example of looking past one game to another as it was widely believed that the home matches against both Manchester sides would be key in the club’s fight for fourth place. Manchester United meanwhile will have gone eleven days without a match after being knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Bayern Munich. Moyes must now rally his troops to achieve the club’s only remaining goal, qualification for European football next season. While Manchester United look improved in the last month, Everton should find a way to grab the three points and keep the pressure on Arsenal for the final Champions League place. Everton 2-1 Manchester United.
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