“I have a feeling…” Chris Sutton makes bold Everton vs Manchester United prediction, includes surprise admission

Chris Sutton has made a surprise admission amid his bold prediction for Manchester United’s trip to face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United will be desperate to get back on track when they face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Rúben Amorim’s side suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in their last outing, a result that left them 15th in the table and under growing pressure.

United will be hoping for a repeat of their dominant 4-0 win over Everton in November, when Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford both scored twice in what remains Amorim’s most emphatic victory so far.

However, since then, former United manager David Moyes has taken charge at Goodison Park, overseeing an upturn in form that has lifted Everton to 14th place—one point above United after 25 games.

Sutton’s bold United prediction

As always, former striker Chris Sutton has supplied his predictions for the weekend’s Premier League matches for BBC Sport. The Scotsman has been critical of Amorim’s side since he took over, and his prediction for the Everton trip is along these lines.

Sutton has explained that although he boldly sees Everton as favourites for the fixture, he suprusingly admitted that he feels United’s performance was not as poor as some said.

“Everton have moved above Manchester United in the table, and they go into this game as favourites – and rightly so,” Sutton stated.

“The Toffees are without the injured Iliman Ndiaye, which is a big blow for them, but Beto’s improvement under David Moyes has been incredible and they definitely carry a goal threat now.

“I actually think this game will be quite tight, though. I didn’t think United’s performance in last weekend’s defeat at Tottenham was as bad as a lot of people made out. They had some very good early chances they should have taken and I have a feeling they will have some opportunities this time too.

“This smells of a 1-1 draw to me, which is what I am going with. One of my pals is an Everton fan and every time I haven’t backed them to win under Moyes and they got something, he loved it.

“He will probably be quite happy that I am not backing them here, either, but it’s important for United boss Rúben Amorim that they get something at Goodison Park, and the way his side end this campaign is massive for him too.

“United are not getting relegated whatever happens, but Amorim needs a decent result or two to build some credit for next season. If he overhauls his squad in the summer, he needs to hit the ground running – it will be seen as being more his team and he has to get a tune out of them.

“If that doesn’t happen, then there is going to be a pile on from people saying there has been no progress since he took over from Erik ten Hag.”

Amorim will have several players return vs Everton

Against Tottenham, United had just 12 first-team available, but there may be up to five returns for Amorim after he had to name eight teenagers on the bench last week.

Read More: Manchester United eyeing Premier League ace as Casemiro replacement after he destroyed Erik ten Hag last season

Leny Yoro and Christian Eriksen were ruled out through illness, but both players may be able to play as it’s thought it was a viral illness rather than anything long-term.

Meanwhile, although Toby Collyer and Manuel Ugarte also did not feature, reports from the day before kick-off suggested they were doubts rather than confirmed absence, which gives hope that they may be able to recover ahead of the coming weekend.

Meanwhile, Altay Bayındır posted confirmation on Instagram that he was back in individual training, suggesting he may be able to return to the bench.

Amorim is expected to give confirmation on his side’s latest team news when he holds his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.

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