Man Utd vs. Everton Betting Tips: Best bets for the early kick off at Old Trafford

This weekend, Manchester United will host Everton in the early kick-off at Old Trafford and after a profitable betting preview on Tuesday, Scot Thornton returns with his best bets.

This match carries a significant importance for both teams. United aim to secure their position in the Champions League spots having momentarily dropped to fifth earlier this week. Meanwhile, Everton are currently fighting against relegation and are in dire need of points.

Despite losing only two out of their last eight matches, Erik ten Hag's team has not been performing up to their usual standards since winning the League Cup in February. The lack of creative options in deeper midfield areas has been a major contributing factor to their dip . The game against Everton will be Casemiro’s last watching from the side-lines as he prepares to return from suspension. Christian Eriksen is also thought to be close to a return. He picked up an injury in Manchester United’s win over Reading in the FA Cup.

United have enjoyed tremendous success at home this season, winning 23 out of 28 games at Old Trafford in all competitions. However, they are aware of the threat Everton poses.

Everton are 16th in the league and are firmly in a relegation battle. The Toffees have won just one game on the road all season and Old Trafford hasn’t been a happy hunting ground in recent years.

I expect this game to be fiercely contested from the off. Everton earned a late draw against Tottenham midweek and both teams picked up a red card. We will be hoping to see a flurry of throws in the opening 20 minutes before the game settles down a bit.

Since Sean Dyche took over, Everton’s matches have been seeing more and more throws. His nine matches in charge have seen an average of just under 44 throws per game. Their average throws per match under Frank Lampard was just over 38. This highlights how Dyche wants his team to be more combative when out of possession and more difficult to play against.

Manchester United have been more controlled under ten hag and this has led to fewer throws. However, their matches are still averaging 36.54 throws per game this season. There were 47 throws when Everton travelled to Old Trafford in the league last season.

Lisandro Martinez completed 80 passes with a success rate of 87.9% when United beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park this season. Martinez has been a key player for his side this season. He is accomplished when in possession and has the ability to pick a pass through the opposition. The Argentine made 78 passes against Brentford despite his side leading for a large period of the game.

When United played Everton at Old Trafford in the league last season, both starting centre-backs (Varane and Lindelof) made 72 passes or more.

We are going to take the same angles as our main bet for the longer odds bet but increase the lines.

Everton have allowed 14.04 opposition passes per defensive action this season. Only three teams in the Premier League have allowed more. This means we see inflated pass numbers against them. Martinez is averaging 62 passes per 90 minutes this season but I expect him to have more here. The fact he managed to reach this mark at Goodison Park is further encouragement. 

Even if Dyche’s men start with an increased sense of urgency, Martinez is the player tasked with helping his team play through the opposition press.