Despite his hopes for a good reception from the Goodison faithful, Moyes can expect a somewhat frosty welcome as he returns to his old stamping ground.
Already Roberto Martinez has achieved more points in his first season than Moyes ever did in his 11 years, and that’s with 4 games to spare. Martinez will be demanding another 3 points today.
For United, the season is over and it’s more or less time to start planning for the summer. Moyes has had an introduction into the job that he would not have expected and has been responsible for 10 league defeats so far which is the most they have suffered since the Premier League began.
Everton Team News
Everton will be missing Kone, Pienaar and Gibson who all have knee injuries, while Oviedo is out with a broken leg. They will however be hoping to be able to find a place on the bench for Jagielka who will undergo a late fitness test as he bids to return form a hamstring injury. Lukaku will be the key man for the Toffees and he is likely to cause all kind of problems to an ageing and dispirited defensive unit.
Manchester United Team News
Van Persie remains sidelined despite a video being released of him training and looking very strong in Holland, he may not play for United agin this season (or ever again) but he will definitely be fit for the World Cup. Rafael and Evans both remain out. Rooney has been declared fully fit for this game, but there is a chance Moyes will leave him on the bench for Hernandez.
Prediction
With so much riding on this game for Everton, and nothing riding on it for United, Martinez will be expecting his men to come out of the blocks quickly and see off Moyes in a far more convincing manner than they did at Old Trafford.
It’s hard to feel sorry for Moyes who has been found out this season in so many respects, his successor has already out performed him after one season in charge and that has raised question marks about just how much he was holding Everton back during his 11 year tenure, now it’s the United fans turn to suffer, and they will suffer today once again.
Everton 2 – 1 Manchester United
TV Info: NBC Sports Network, 8:10 AM
