View: Rodriguez returns, Sigurdsson dropped – Predicted Everton XI v Manchester United
Fresh from a superb 2-1 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road Everton will be aiming to keep up momentum when they face Manchester United on Saturday.
The Blues endured an afternoon to forget last weekend when they were humiliated on their own patch by a Newcastle United side who had not won in their previous 11 games, but a return to winning ways in midweek will have lifted spirits as they travel to Old Trafford.
Manchester United will be in confident mood after a stunning 9-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday and they are aiming for a domestic treble over the Blues after Premier League (3-1) and League Cup (2-0) victories at Goodison Park earlier this season.
After Wednesday’s brilliant victory over Leeds we do not expect to see too many changes but there could be a notable reshuffle in midfield v Manchester United…
Robin Olsen was in sticks against the Whites after Jordan Pickford was ruled out through injury and impressed, making a number of key saves.
Carlo Ancelotti said he was hopeful Pickford would be fit for Saturday but even if he is available surely Olsen cannot be dropped after his performance in midweek.
There is a decision to make at right-back after Mason Holgate struggled at times against Leeds but his athleticism should see him selected ahead of Seamus Coleman to cope with the sheer speed of Manchester United attackers like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Michael Keane was surprisingly dropped with Ben Godfrey moved to the centre of defence and the 23-year-old took his opportunity with both hands as he produced a colossal performance against one of the Premier League’s most prolific marksmen in Patrick Bamford.
He must now be given a run in the team at centre-back to prove his long-term credentials and he will be joined by Yerry Mina, with Lucas Digne completing the defence on the left hand side.
Like Godfrey, Abdoulaye Doucoure produced a man-mountain display in midweek as he covered every blade of grass in the midfield and he is one of the most vital cogs in this Everton machine, particularly with Allan still out through injury.
Next to him is likely to be Andre Gomes again as the Blues look to keep a more settled midfield, with Tom Davies finding himself out-of-favour after starting just one of the last four games.
It would be a brave call to drop one of the goal scorers but Ancelotti has shown before that he is not afraid to make these decisions and for that reason we think Gylfi Sigurdsson could miss out despite opening the scoring v Leeds.
James Rodriguez was benched at Elland Road and was not called upon during the game but against a side who play with less intensity than Leeds he will be important in orchestrating attacks and creating openings.
Alex Iwobi and Richarlison should keep their spots on Saturday and will be hoping to do the business going forwards but they will have to be on their jobs defensively to combat the Manchester United full-backs.
Luke Shaw registered two assists against Southampton before his half-time withdrawal while Aaron Wan-Bissaka scored his second goal of the season so the Blues must be wary of their attacks from deep, and the energy of Richarlison and Iwobi will help them get up and down the pitch.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin finally broke his Premier League scoring duck against Leeds as his first-half header halted a run of seven games without a goal in the competition and saw him score his 12th league goal of the campaign, a tally bettered by only Mohamed Salah (15).
This all means that there will be just one change from the team that beat Leeds on Wednesday evening, with Rodriguez replacing Sigurdsson.
After such a great win it is hard to argue for too many changes and it is perhaps harsh on Sigurdsson that he is the man to make way, given his goal set them on the way to victory.
If Everton come away from Old Trafford with all three points we will go five points behind the hosts with two games in hand.
They might have thrashed Southampton on Tuesday but they were playing an injury-ravaged side and their two previous games saw them draw 0-0 with Arsenal and lose 2-1 to rock-bottom Sheffield United, so there is certainly hope for Ancelotti and co.
With Joshua King also now at the club there are genuine options to turn to in case things do not go according to plan so there should be growing optimism going forwards.
In other Everton news, key Manchester United attacker could be set to miss Blues clash on Saturday.