Fresh off their humiliating Southampton, 9-0 in midweek, we are possibly starting to see what the best and strongest Manchester United lineup is. Something to think about when they face Everton FC on Saturday.
Edinson Cavani, when healthy, still brings it. Some of us may mocked his deadline day signing as desperate, but he’s the team’s best pure centre forward and poacher. Bruno Fernandes, obviously undroppable, and the team has been on the rise ever since Paul Pogba really got it together.
Manchester United vs Everton FC FYIs
Kick-off: 8pm GMT Saturday Feb. 6
Team news for both sides: go here
Odds: -200 United win, +325 draw, +525 Everton victory
TV (USA): NBCSN, Stream: NBCSports.com
Premier League position: United 44 pts, 2nd Everton 36 pts, 6th
Premier League Form Guide: United WDLWD Everton WLDWL
Fred and McTominay are getting it done in the holding midfield while the arrival of Alex Telles has pushed Luke Shaw towards being the best he can be. The club is reportedly in the market to sign a right back that could do the same for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
While manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may not have the most consistency in his starting lineup this season, it does seem like he may have found his strongest XI.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction vs Everton FC
David De Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Fred, Scott McTominay; Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Edinson Cavani
Prediction: Manchester 2, Everton 0
Given what happened in the reverse fixture, it’s clear that United have the advantage in this match-up. Don’t expect a wild scoreline like last time though!
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.