CARDS specialist Chris Goodwin (@CGeorgeGamble) picks out his favourite fancies from Saturday's showdown between Everton and Manchester United.
Everton vs Manchester United | Saturday 9th April 2022, 12:30 | BT Sport
Everton Team News:
- Donny van de Beek cannot face parent club Manchester United, though is injured anyway.
- Frank Lampard recovers both Allan and Michael Keane from suspension for Saturday.
- Allan's return may well see Mason Holgate drop back into defence this weekend.
- Seamus Coleman was benched in defeat to Burnley on Wednesday night but should return here.
- Jonjoe Kenny or Vitalii Mykolenko will start at left-back for the Toffees.
Manchester United Team News:
- Ralf Rangnick has confirmed Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane are all absent to face Everton on Saturday.
- Cristiano Ronaldo missed last weekend's draw with Leicester through illness but has trained all week and will lead the line here.
- Fred has been far more impressive in an advanced position for Manchester United under Rangnick so it wouldn't be a surprise if Nemanja Matic replaced McTominay.
- Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga are in competition to start on the right-wing.
The situation went from bad, to worse, to disastrous on Wednesday night as Everton were sent packing with their tails between their legs as they suffered a 3-2 defeat away to Burnley. It was a crucial game down at the bottom and it allowed Sean Dyche’s side to move to within a single point of the ‘Toffees’.
Everton do have a game in hand on the bottom two sides but have played the same amount as Burnley and they cannot afford another slip-up. However, it seems likely that they will, given six of their last seven Premier League fixtures have ended in defeat.
Rumours are swirling that Manchester United have found a new manager that they can invest time into. Currently boss of Ajax, Erik ten Haag is looking like he will take over the reins at Old Trafford in the summer and United fans will be hoping he will arrive at a side that has secured Champions League football for next season.
However, the ‘Red Devils’ currently occupy seventh spot in the table but are just three points adrift of a place in the top four – highlighting how tight it is between fourth and eighth place.
Everton Over 1 Cards and Over 1 Match Goals (1/1 Bet365)
- Everton have seen at least two cards in eight of their last ten Premier League home matches (80%).
- Everton have seen at least two cards in four of the five home games they’ve played against sides currently in the top six (80%).
- When Manchester United have played away, their opponents have seen at least two cards in eight of their 14 league games (57%).
Everton have seen a red card in both of their previous two home matches. The first pick is a betbuilder containing two selections. First of all, we need the hosts to pick up at least two cards in the game overall, which seems likely considering the state they currently find themselves in.
Every game will be a battle and you can expect the hosts to make rash challenges to avoid conceding the opening goal for the sixth time in their last seven outings.
Referee Jonathan Moss isn’t known for dishing out cards with regularity, but he might have no choice here. The ‘Toffees’ have seen two red cards across their last two home games and it’s likely they pick up at least 20 booking points here.
The second part of this pick was a simple one in my opinion. Both of these sides have been hammered recently for their lapses in concentration defensively. It also looks as though visitors Manchester United will be without a number of key players, particularly in the defensive department. Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw look set to be unavailable meaning Victor Lindelof and Alex Telles are likely to replace them.
Both of these teams are much stronger going forward and I can see both teams scoring, but I’ll just include the over 1.5 goals here to bring our betbuilder up to a nice even money play.
Over 11.5 Everton Free-Kicks (1/1 Bet365)
- Everton have been fouled 12 or more times in nine of their last 10 home league games.
- Manchester United opponents have seen 12 or more free kicks in six of their last eight away league matches.
I’m going to dip into the prop markets here and I want to be on the side of Everton free-kicks on Bet365 – meaning offsides are included towards the free kick count.
Frank Lampard's men have drawn at least 12 fouls in nine of their last 10 home games and with each game being a battle for much-needed points here on until the end of the season, you can expect their matches to be exciting and played with a fast pace.
Everton have never been relegated from the Premier League, but they’re currently in a precarious position as they hover dangerously over the trapdoor into the Championship. They need to find a balance and tighten up at the back but I’m struggling to see how they do so as quickly as they’d need to.
As such, they’ll look to make use of any advantage they can, including set-pieces and so i like this price on the hosts to take at least 12 free kicks.
Best Bets
Everton vs Manchester United – Everton Over 1 Cards and Over 1 Match Goals (1/1 Bet365)
Everton vs Manchester United – Over 11.5 Everton Free-Kicks (1/1 Bet365)
