Gameweek three of the Premier League brings Everton and Manchester United together on 6 September 2026 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with both clubs searching for consistency after mixed starts. Everton sit seventh or eighth on four points from two matches while United are eleventh with three. Everton have stayed unbeaten in their opening fixtures under David Moyes' second spell, though the squad's limited depth raises real questions about sustaining that across a full season. Manchester United, under Michael Carrick since his permanent appointment in May 2026 following Ruben Amorim's departure, recovered from an opening defeat by thrashing Ipswich Town 5-2 and come here looking to make it two on the spin.
Moyes has a historically poor record against Manchester United across his various managerial stints and Carrick has little direct head to head history with him, having spent most of his managerial career in interim or assistant roles before taking permanent charge at Old Trafford. Moyes favours pragmatic organisation, Carrick's system is built around movement and positional fluidity.
Everton arrive on the back of a 2-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on 22 August and a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on 29 August, with a 4-0 League Cup win over Preston sandwiched in between. United went a loss then a win, opening with a 0-2 defeat to Hull City on 22 August before the 5-2 Premier League thrashing of Ipswich Town on 30 August and they have looked defensively solid at home while United rediscovered their attacking sharpness in that second outing.
Everton are without Christian Norgaard through a knee or muscle issue, which is a real problem given how thin Moyes' options are in midfield. United are dealing with four absences: Carlos Baleba (ankle), Manuel Ugarte (knee), Amad Diallo (ankle or muscle trouble) and Matthijs de Ligt (back). The combined effect strips United of defensive cover and midfield balance in one go, forcing Carrick to rework his preferred 4-2-3-1.
Everton's 4-2-3-1 under Moyes is built around a compact defensive block and quick transitions, with set pieces a realistic source of goals given Barry's ability to win headers in the box, which gives Moyes a specific aerial target to aim at. Jordan Pickford anchors the defence and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is the main creative outlet from midfield. Everton's ability to play through United's press is reduced without Norgaard, so expect them to sit deep and look to spring Barry on the counter.
United's version of the same shape under Carrick is more aggressive, built around Bruno Fernandes pulling strings in the hole and Marcus Rashford running in behind on the left. Matheus Cunha, the summer signing, tends to drift into pockets between the lines rather than playing as an out and out striker, giving United a different problem for defences to solve, while Kobbie Mainoo provides energy in midfield. Losing Baleba, Ugarte, Diallo and de Ligt simultaneously means the backline and midfield pairings need reworking and that makeshift shape could get found out against Everton's set piece routines and organised press.
Barry's aerial duels against a reshuffled United backline are Everton's clearest route to goals, while United's best chance of hurting them is to exploit the half-spaces behind Everton's narrow midfield and Fernandes and Cunha linking up as they did against Ipswich could make that happen. The Branthwaite versus Rashford duel at one end and Fernandes versus Dewsbury-Hall in central areas at the other are where this match is most likely to be decided.
United have roughly 98 or 99 wins from approximately 218 or 219 meetings, compared to around 71 or 72 for Everton, though the recent Premier League head to head has been more competitive, with Everton picking up wins in the 2025-26 campaign, suggesting Moyes has found ways to make these games difficult.
Set pieces are where Everton's best chance of disrupting United probably lies, with Barry's physicality and Moyes' organisational emphasis on dead balls capable of causing serious problems for a backline missing de Ligt. United carry real momentum from the Ipswich thrashing and that is not nothing heading into a fixture where confidence in tight moments tends to matter.
United win 2-1. Everton will be compact and hard to break down, especially in the first hour and Barry gives them a specific aerial target from set pieces that United's reshuffled backline, without de Ligt, haven't yet been tested on. But Fernandes pulling strings behind Cunha, with Rashford threatening in behind, gives United enough variety in attack to find a way through even a disciplined Everton block. Norgaard's absence matters in the later stages when Everton need legs in midfield to stay organised and United's attacking depth means they can keep creating late on, when Everton's midfield is most exposed. Narrow away win.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
