Everton v Man Utd preview

Toffees try to tame Rooney as former ace returns to Goodison

By Jonathan Witty   Last updated: 19th February 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Everton v Man Utd preview

Rooney: Set for Goodison return

PREDICTIONS:

Skysports.com prediction: 1-2

SKY BET odds: Everton 7/2 Draw 5/2 Man Utd 4/5

One to Watch: Wayne Rooney

Rooney to score first is 4/1 and United to win 2-1 in a scorecast with the England striker opening the scoring is 20/1 so a £5 bet returns £105. Bet on Saturday's match
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In-form striker Wayne Rooney will return to former club Everton for Saturday's early kick-off as he aims to fire Manchester United to the top of the Premier League.

Rooney scored twice in midweek as United defeated AC Milan 3-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie and will be focused on defeating David Moyes' men to leapfrog Chelsea, who play later on Saturday.

The England international is in frightening form, with 13 goals in 14 matches since failing to score against Everton in the reverse fixture in November.

United should be wary though as the Toffees have already been influential in the title race this season, beating Carlo Ancelotti's side 2-1 and securing a hard-fought draw against Arsenal at the Emirates last month.

History is not on Everton's side however, as they have lost 13 times at home to Sir Alex Ferguson's men in the Premier League era, more than any team in the competition's history.

A victory for Moyes' side would see them climb towards the Europa League qualification spots and would seriously dent United's hopes of retaining their Premier League crown.

Team news

Everton have suffered a fresh injury blow with the loss of key midfielder Tim Cahill for up to three weeks.

The Australian was forced off with a calf injury during the Toffees' Europa League victory over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.

His absence further depletes Moyes' options as it was revealed earlier this week that influential midfielder Marouane Fellaini will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

John Heitinga is available after missing the Sporting tie through ineligibility and Steven Pienaar returns to Premier League duty after suspension.

Tony Hibbert (groin), Victor Anichebe (back) and loan signing Philippe Senderos (back) are still out but progressing and long-term absentee Phil Jagielka (knee) is also back in training.

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Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic will return to the United squad after a lengthy lay-off.

Vidic has yet to play in 2010 after suffering a nerve problem in a leg, but after expressing some exasperation about the situation earlier this week, Ferguson has confirmed the Serbian will be available at Goodison Park.

Rio Ferdinand and Nani will both miss the crunch clash due to suspension.

Ferdinand is sitting out the last match of his four-match ban, while Nani begins his three-match domestic suspension for a straight red card against Aston Villa.

The suspended pair are joined on the sidelines by Ryan Giggs, who is recovering from a broken arm.

Possible starting XIs:

Everton: Howard, Neville, Heitinga, Distin, Baines, Arteta, Donovan Osman, Pienaar, Cahill, Saha.

Man Utd:Van der Sar, Evra, Vidic, Evans, Rafael, Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Valencia, Park, Rooney.

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