(Football news) Manchester United will welcome Watford to Old Trafford with both sides desperate to secure three points for different reasons. The Red Devils are currently fighting for a place in the Champions League and cannot afford to slip up with Arsenal breathing down their necks. Watford are fighting for survival in the Premier League and are 19th on the table with 18 points from 25 games. The reverse fixture at Vicarage Road was a memorable one for the Hornets as they defeated Manchester United 4-1 and the result cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job. The hosts will be looking for revenge this time around and Ralf Rangnick hasn’t lost a game since his appointment as interim manager so far.
Manchester United were lucky to have secured a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. Rangnick will hope for an improved performance this time around, especially with regards to providing service to Cristiano Ronaldo. Anthony Elanga has been one of the most positive aspects of Rangnick’s reign so far and is expected to start ahead of Marcus Rashford who has been abysmal so far. Edinson Cavani and Scott McTominay will be unavailable for selection for the match and Diogo Dalot is expected to feature at right back.
As for Watford, Peter Etebo and Nicolas Nkoulou remain absent but Joao Pedro and Juraj Kucka are expected to return to the starting lineup. Former Manchester United players Joshua King and Tom Cleverley will look to make an impact at their former club while Edo Kayembe might feature in midfield. Manchester United are expected to secure the three points from this fixture but will need to be prolific in front of goal. The performance of Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Elanga and Cristiano Ronaldo will be integral to getting the right result in the fixture.
Reigning champions and Premier League leaders Manchester City will visit Goodison Park to take on Everton on Saturday evening. Pep Guardiola will expect nothing less than three points from this fixture, especially considering that a single slip up may result in Liverpool taking the top spot on the table. The Toffees will hope to make it difficult for them as Frank Lampard’s team look to move five points clear of the relegation zone and need to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Southampton.
Everton will welcome Demarai Gray and Abdoulaye Doucoure back in their squad but Lampard will be without Yerry Mina (thigh), Ben Godfrey (hamstring), Fabian Delph (thigh) and Tom Davies (thigh) due to injury. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are expected to retain their places in attack despite a disappointing performance last weekend while Anthony Gordon is expected on the left flank and one of Andros Townsend, Alex Iwobi or Anwar El Ghazi to operate on the other side.
As for Manchester City, Guardiola has confirmed that Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus are available for selection. The Spaniard might select Riyad Mahrez over Ilkay Gundogan in the starting lineup and Bernardo Silva operating in a midfield three alongside Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne. John Stones and Nathan Ake will look to force their way back into the starting lineup even though Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte are the preferred options with Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo operating as fullbacks.
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