Manchester United’s 4-1 win over West Ham United on Wednesday night was a much-needed victory, given that Jose Mourinho’s side had struggled to overcome the same opponent three days earlier when the teams had met in the Premier League.
The EFL Cup semi-finals beckon in January as a result of the win, and a two-legged tie with Hull City, but United’s attentions will immediately snap back to league duties this weekend as they face a difficult trip to Goodison Park.
Ronald Koeman’s Everton side sit only one point behind United in 7th place, and will fancy their chances of taking advantage of United’s inconsistencies in the league. Mourinho’s men have drawn their last four games at home, and haven’t won twice consecutively since September.
Still, Wednesday’s win showed that Mourinho has the tools to play fast, attractive attacking football, and Koeman will be wary of playing into United’s hands.
With that in mind, here’s how we think United should start on Sunday:
Goalkeeper
No surprises to see David De Gea in goal; the Spaniard was at fault for Ashley Fletcher’s goal on Wednesday night, spilling Dimitri Payet’s routine strike in front of the former United academy product, but his form over the last few years has gathered him an immense amount of credit with fans and his playing colleagues.
Defence
The defence remains mostly unchanged, with Matteo Darmian coming in for Luke Shaw. The Italian has been Mourinho’s preferred choice at left-back in bigger games of late, with Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo his go-to defensive partnership. Antonio Valencia should continue at right back.
Midfield
Midfield, however, is a tricky proposition. Whilst the value of Michael Carrick to United’s play cannot be understated, a change must be made as a result Wayne Rooney’s unavailability due to suspension. We’ve gone for Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera behind the returning Juan Mata; the latter didn’t take part against West Ham, and the Frenchman will be available having missed Wednesday’s game through suspension.
Attack
Up front, Mourinho would do well to pick the same three that caused Slaven Bilic’s side so many problems. Both he and Anthony Martial grabbed two goals apiece, which was especially enjoyable to see given the Frenchman’s troubles during his second season at Old Trafford. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has also started to prove his worth to his manager, and grabbed two assists and a Man of the Match award on Wednesday night, which should be more than enough to earn him a start at Goodison Park.