Everton will hope to continue the unbeaten start to the 2026/27 season when they welcome Manchester United to Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.
The curtains will fall on Gameweek 3 of the 2026/27 season on Sunday with two matches. The action on the day will start with Everton vs Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with the hosts aiming to continue a solid start to their Premier League campaign and the away side aiming to build on the performance against Ipswich Town last week.
Everton began the 2026/27 season with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace before cruising to a 4-0 victory against Preston North End in the EFL Cup second round. While the Toffees dropped points in their second outing, the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth displayed their resilience, as James Tarkowski scored in injury time to earn his team a point.
On the other hand, Manchester United began the 2026/27 season on the worst possible note, as Hull City handed them a shock 2-0 defeat. However, the Red Devils have since bounced back, coming from a goal down to beat Ipswich Town 5-2, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a match-winning hat-trick.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 1-0 win for Manchester United, with Benjamin Sesko scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
David Moyes has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Everton manager will be bereft of the services of only one first-team player vs Manchester United on Sunday.
Christian Norgaard is the only player in the treatment room, with the Danish midfielder recovering from a minor issue. Meanwhile, Moyes can call up new signings, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Jack Grealish arriving at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on deadline day of the summer transfer window.
Jordan Pickford is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United. The backline will feature Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Vitaliy Mykolenko, with Maitland-Niles made to wait for his Everton bow.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past James Garner and Harrison Armstrong in the double pivot, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Thierno Barry will lead the line for Everton against Manchester United, with Brennan Johnson and Jack Grealish being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Armstrong; Johnson, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry
Manchester United
Unlike his counterpart in the Everton dugout, Michael Carrick has several pressing issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Manchester United head coach will be without five first-team players on Sunday.
Manuel Ugarte remains a long-term absentee due to a knee injury. The Uruguayan international accompanies Tom Heaton (knock), Matthijs de Ligt (lower back), Carlos Baleba (ankle), and Amad Diallo (muscular) in the treatment room, though de Ligt and Baleba should return before the international break. Meanwhile, Luke Shaw (hamstring) and Mason Mount (foot) should be fit and available to take on Everton.
Senne Lammens is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Everton on Sunday. The backline will feature Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, and Luke Shaw.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans, with Andrey Santos missing out again. Bruno Fernandes will reprise the no. 10 role, pulling the strings from the advanced areas. Finally, Matheus Cunha will spearhead the Manchester United attack, with Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Mainoo, Tielemans; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Rashford; Cunha
Key Stats
- Everton have won just three of their last 22 Premier League matches vs Manchester United (D7 L12), though one was last season when they secured a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have won six of their eight most recent Premier League games against Everton (D1 L1), keeping a clean sheet in five of those victories.
- Following the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in Gameweek 1, Everton will aim to win back-to-back Premier League games at the Hill Dickinson Stadium for just the second time, previously doing so in March against Burnley (2-0) and Chelsea (3-0). The Toffees last won their opening two home games of a league campaign in 2021/22.
- Sunday’s tie will be the 20th Premier League game of Michael Carrick’s second tenure in charge of Manchester United, with no side winning more points (42) than the Red Devils in this period. Only five managers have won 45+ points in their first 20 games from the start of a tenure with a club: Jose Mourinho in his first spell with Chelsea (49), Antonio Conte with Chelsea (49), John Gregory with Aston Villa (48), Arne Slot with Liverpool (47), and Carlo Ancelotti with Chelsea (45).
- Across the opening two Premier League matchdays this season, no side has had more direct attacks than Everton (6, level with Manchester United), while only Hull City (2.3 m/s) and Liverpool (2.05 m/s) have had a higher direct speed than the Toffees (2.04 m/s), highlighting their ability to hit sides quickly in transition.
- Manchester United conceded first against both Hull City in Gameweek 1 and Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2, but they have not gone 1-0 down in their first three Premier League games of a season since 2012/13 (the last time they won the title), with one of those games being a 1-0 loss at Everton.
Player to Watch
Bryan Mbeumo
While Bruno Fernandes, Thierno Barry, and James Garner were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bryan Mbeumo as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Cameroonian international has made more runs in behind the oppositions’ defensive line than any other player across the opening two Premier League matchdays this season (39), with his 20 against Ipswich Town ranking first and 19 against Hull City ranking joint second among all players in a single game.
Additionally, excluding penalties, Mbeumo has accumulated the most xG (2.26) in the Premier League after Gameweek 2. So, after scoring only once, he will be eager to showcase his potential by making a lasting impact against Everton this weekend.
Prediction
Everton 1-2 Manchester United
Everton and Manchester United have been impressive in the final third this season, even if the results have not necessarily reflected that. So, an end-to-end affair is on the cards, and there may not be much to separate these teams, particularly with the visitors displaying a soft underbelly.
However, David Moyes has a dreadful record against Manchester United, having lost 23 Premier League matches against Manchester United, with only Harry Redknapp ever losing more against the Red Devils in the competition (24). With Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo looking in impressive form, Moyes’s tally of losses to Manchester United should increase, as The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Michael Carrick and his charges.
