Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might be seeing his future hanging in the balance this weekend when his side travels to Everton. Speculation is mounting, in regards to his job security, and a loss at the Toffees could really warm his seat up.
United are off to their worst start in the league in 48 years, and sitting 15th in the table, they badly need a run of results and now. Losing to Istanbul Basaksehir, a side they were heavily favored to beat, in the Champions League yesterday has ramped up the pressure on Solskjaer.
Manchester United vs Everton FYIs
Kickoff: 12:30pm GMT Saturday Nov 7, Goodison Park
United Starting XI Prediction: go here
TV Channel: NBCSN
Odds: Everton win +185, Draw +250, United win+140
“It’s set us back a lot,” the Norwegian said of the shocking defeat.
“You get a reality check when you play a football game here. You don’t just turn up and get three points in the Champions League…We weren’t good enough…It’s not easy to be positive, not when you play like this.”
A report from the Manchester Evening News claims that currently available manager Mauricio Pochettino is being lined up to replace Solskjaer, if/when he gets the sack. So that’s the major team news for United, but when it comes to the actual roster of players, we do see a few potential absentees.
Central defender Eric Bailly (muscular injury) remains out until after the international break while Alex Telles (COVID-19+) might test negative in time to feature here. Jesse Lingard (muscular issue), and Phil Jones (undisclosed long term injury) are out as well.
Turning to the Toffees, Richarlison remains suspended, due to his actions in the Merseyside derby, but Everton is hopeful James Rodriguez will be back in time for this one. Like James, Ben Godfrey missed the loss to Newcastle but could make his return here.
Meanwhile Jarrad Branthwaite is available for selection again. Ditto for Lucas Digne, who has finished serving his suspension. Toffees Manager Carlo Ancelotti should likely provide an update on Seamus Coleman tomorrow.
Finally, the Liverpool Echo reports that Mason Holgate has stepped up his rehabilitation from a toe injury.
Prediction: Everton 2, United 2
Early on, Everton looked like they might be the league title sleepers that some pundits thought in the summer. They have since come back down to Earth. As for United, who knows what you’ll get on Saturday.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.