Venue: Old Trafford Date: Wednesday, December 4 Kick-Off: 19:45 How will David Moyes fare when the Manchester United manager takes on former club Everton for the first time since replacing Sir Alex Ferguson?
Team News
Robin van Persie has "a chance" of being passed fit to play for United tonight having missed the last three Premier League games with a combination of toe and groin injuries. Defender Phil Jones is suspended having amassed five yellow cards. Everton boss Roberto Martinez has no fresh injury concerns. Left-back Leighton Baines is still out, but is making a better than expected recovery from a fractured toe, though Martinez would not predict when he may return to action. (bbc)
Key Stats
Everton's last victory at Old Trafford came in the first Premier League encounter between the two sides in August 1992. Manchester United have won 16 of their 21 Premier League home games against Everton, with four matches drawn. The Toffees have won two of their last 14 away league games (W2, D7, L5). United's tally of 22 points after 13 matches is their lowest since 2004-05 (21 points). They went on to finish that season third.
David Moyes faces an emotional evening as former club Everton visit Old Trafford in the Premier League tonight. Moyes spent 11 years at Goodison, and was responsible for much of their recent successes, but says he won't let the occasion get the better of him, and that he'd "rather get on with the game." He said:
"I'm not an emotional person. I'd rather get on with the game. "Obviously I have fond memories. You don't just throw 11 years away. "But I have had to divorce myself from it. United is my team now and all my concentration has been on them."
His successor, Roberto Martinez, will attempt to do here what Moyes himself couldn't - win at Old Trafford. The Toffee's haven't won at the Theatre of Dreams since August 1992 and, though Moyes came close on a couple of occasions, couldn't quite get over the finish line. United have won 16 of their 21 Premier League home games against Everton, and they need that record to continue here, back down to 8th in the table following two consecutive draws in the league. Nine points is the gap between them and first placed Arsenal, and the Reds cannot allow that chasm to gape any wider if they are to retain even the most wavering of hopes of successfully defending their title. Prediction 2-1
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
