Manchester United welcome Everton to Old Trafford on Tuesday evening aiming to get back on track in the Premier League following another home draw at the weekend.
The Red Devils dropped yet more points in the race to finish in the division's top four, but they now have a chance to make an immediate response against an Everton side reeling from their Merseyside derby defeat.
Manchester United
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United boss Jose Mourinho, never one to shy away from picking out individuals to blame, certainly did not need reminding after Saturday's goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion that his side had missed another chance to put some pressure on the teams above them.
For all the talk of this current Red Devils crop showing the hallmarks of the new Invincibles, going 19 games since their last top-flight defeat, far too many draws during that run may well have cost them the chance of achieving their minimum league target of the season.
After being backed heavily last summer Mourinho was tipped to challenge at the top, seeing his side made second favourites for the title behind Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, yet with just six weeks of the season to go it looks like being a straight shootout between the city rivals for a Champions League berth.
The draw with West Brom, minus leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic up top, summed up where things have gone wrong for Mourinho's men this term, as they racked up a total of 18 shots without finding a way past their former stopper Ben Foster, hitting the target on just three occasions.
Mourinho made clear at full time that he was unhappy with the consistency being shown by his attacking players, reserving particular criticism for rookie forward Marcus Rashford who has been unable to step up in Ibrahimovic's absence, largely due to spending the vast majority of the campaign shoved out wide to accommodate others.
Of the 19 games United have gone without defeat since going down to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October, nine of them have ended all square, including home stalemates with the likes of Stoke City, Burnley, West Ham United, Hull City, Bournemouth and now West Brom.
Nine teams have a better home record than United this campaign and their paltry tally of 20 goals scored is bettered by 14 others, a list that includes Swansea City, Bournemouth and Hull, though Albion became just the second team to stop them scoring at Old Trafford under Mourinho - Burnley being the other.
Incredibly, the Red Devils have drawn 0-0 on their own patch eight times since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, compared to zero in the four years prior to that. It all points to a vast improvement being required against teams happy to sit back and claim a point, which is ultimately holding the club back in their pursuit of glory.
Whether a good thing or bad, United still have to face Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City before the season is out, but their attention may well have turned elsewhere before those tough fixtures come around, with Mourinho hinting that the Europa League will now take priority for his side.
Recent form in Premier League: DWWDWD
Recent form (all competitions): DDLWWD
Everton
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Heading into Saturday's crunch Merseyside derby clash, Everton not only boasted better form over their neighbours but also bettered that of the 18 other teams in the division since the turn of the year.
In just three of their 10 games since the start of 2017 had Everton dropped points, losing just one of those, to make up the deficit on the stuttering sides immediately above them and giving fans hope of a late push for the top four.
Unfortunately for the Toffees and their confident manager Ronald Koeman, things did not quite go to plan at Anfield at the weekend - a meek an feeble performance seeing them head back across Stanley Park with their tails between their legs after deservedly falling to defeat.
It is a strange accusation to be levelled at Koeman, but some suggested after the match that the Dutchman showed too much faith in his youngsters in such a big game, albeit with his hand being rather forced due to long-term injuries sustained over the international break by Seamus Coleman, Ramiro Funes Mori and James McCarthy.
Matthew Pennington may have scored on his first league outing of the campaign, but both he and Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggled, as did the more experienced Tom Davies - still aged just 18 - in the middle of the park following an early caution.
Finding the right mix will be key for Koeman if he is to take the Toffees to the next level in 2017-18, when he will have to balance Europa League football with domestic commitments, and persuading the division's top scorer in Romelu Lukaku to stay will also be key.
Lukaku may feel as though he has a point to prove at Old Trafford on Tuesday, too, having now scored just three goals in eight outings against the league's current top six sides, compared to 18 in 21 against the rest.
Everton look likely to remain in their current position of seventh place, seeing them as the best of the rest, but as Phil Jagielka pointed out this week, hope should not be lost of a late collapse for a couple of the sides currently above them in the table.
Victory at the Theatre of Dreams will drag the Toffees level on points with their opponents in fifth, but United and sixth-placed Arsenal still have two games in hand to play, ensuring that the Merseyside outfit have their work cut out to better their current standing.
Recent form in Premier League: DWLWWL
Team News
© SilverHub
United are boosted by the return to action of Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera following their suspensions, with both likely to be restored to the starting lineup for this second league game in three days.
Mourinho is not confident of having hamstring victim Paul Pogba back in his ranks for Tuesday night, and the Frenchman has recently been joined on the sidelines by Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Juan Mata - all out for the long term.
Luke Shaw has seemingly been completely shut out by his manager, meanwhile, due to constant concerns over his fitness, so rotation in the backline is unlikely.
In terms of the visitors, Koeman has admitted that he will likely adopt a more defensive-minded ploy at Old Trafford similar to the approach taken by many teams - including West Brom last time out - before him.
That could mean reverting to a four-at-the-back system, seeing Pennington drop back out of the starting lineup and Mason Holgate taking up a right-back position.
Gareth Barry is one of the more experienced players plying his trade in the Premier League and is in contention to earn a recall in midweek, joining the impressive Idrissa Gueye - a rumoured summer transfer target for Arsenal - in the engine room.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Rojo, Young; Carrick, Herrera; Lingard, Mkhitaryan, Rashford; Ibrahimovic
Everton possible starting lineup:
Robles; Holgate, Jagielka, Williams, Baines, Barry, Gueye; Valencia, Barkley, Mirallas; Lukaku
Head To Head
United have lost just one of their last 23 league meetings with Everton at Old Trafford, with that defeat coming in December 2013 when former Toffees boss David Moyes was at the helm.
The Red Devils have 33 Premier League wins over their midweek opponents overall, which is the second-highest total for one club over another in the competition.
Should Koeman lead his side to victory, he will become the first manager to ever win three away games in a row against United in the history of the Premier League, following previous successes there during his time at Southampton.
We say: Manchester United 1-1 Everton
Mourinho's men have drawn eight of their 15 league games at Old Trafford this season - a worrying run that they need to put a stop to if they are to finally break into the top four before the end of the campaign. Not since 1980-81 have they been held on more occasions on home soil, and Everton will fancy their chances of adding to that list on Tuesday night.
Daniel Lewis
