Key events
The teams!
Manchester United: Lammens, Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw, Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu, Diallo, Mbeumo, Zirkzee.
Subs: Bayindir, Dalot, Martinez, Mount, Malacia, Ugarte, Heaven, Mainoo, Lacey.
Everton: Pickford, Garner, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Coleman, Gueye, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry.
Subs: Travers, King, McNeil, Beto, O’Brien, Dibling, Alcaraz, Aznou, Iroegbunam.
Preamble
This one has a bit of a nostalgic feel, like some sort of sepia ITV fever dream with Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend on comms (unfortunately you’ll have to make do with me). Maybe it’s because it’s Old Trafford under the lights and the distant memories of those palatial Champions League evenings or maybe it’s just because Manchester United and Everton are two of England’s grandest clubs that share so many merged memories that bridge matches, players and moments (the first things that come to mind: Paul Rideout at Wembley, Wayne Rooney and Phil Neville, Alejandro Garnacho’s bicycle kick, Steven Pienaar’s equaliser in the 4-4 draw that proved to be a decisive moment in the 2012 title race). Do get in touch with your favourite moments from this fixture, or in general: michael.butler@theguardian.com.
Yes, this is a fixture rooted in the past but both clubs are entering new eras. Following over a decade of banter years, United are beginning to emerge into something approaching respectability. Of course, by the standards of Busby and Ferguson, they are still lightyears away from what might be deemed acceptable but there are green shoots under Ruben Amorim. United could possibly go fourth with a victory here, could they force their way into the reckoning for the top four come the end of the season? That would be a sizeable achievement.
New stadium and an old manager, Everton are another team in flux. Nobody is quite sure how far this team can go under David Moyes, anywhere and everything from a relegation battle to European qualification remains a possibility. That’s quite an exciting and enticing thing for Everton fans. It would be a surprise but not a shock for them to leave Manchester with all three points today, even if a win today would represent just a second victory at United in 32 years. In 17 attempts Moyes has never won at Old Trafford and was in the home dugout when Everton last won here in 2013.
It’s all set up to be a cracker.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT.
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