Season › 2011-12 › News Manchester United vs Everton Lyndon Lloyd , 22 April, 48comments | Jump to most recent Match Preview With last Saturday's painful FA Cup semi-final defeat still fresh in the memory, Everton travel to Old Trafford, home of the Champions — both regining and elect — and the ground that has been their least profitable venue since the inception of the Premier League. As Evertonians know all too well, the Blues have won just once on United's turf in 20 years, that a 3-0 win in the 1992-93 season when Mo Johnson and Robert Warchyka were still playing their trade in the Royal Blue jersey. Everton's record in between has been a litany of defeats and the occasional hard-earned draw, the last of which was six years ago and David Moyes's side have only scored once at Old Trafford since. Together with the manager's record away at Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the League, he doesn't have a win to show for himself in 10 years in charge. The manager's critics have pointed to his typically cagey and unadventurous approach to this fixture in the past but there were hints in his pre-match comments that Moyes believes the disappointment against Liverpool and United's obvious superiority will afford his players a little more freedom this time around. Article continues below video content He insists he will send his team out to have a go but they will have to do it without one of their most important players after Leighton Baines was ruled out for the next couple of weeks at least with a hamstring injury. He, Jack Rodwell (hamstring) and Royston Drenthe (who has surely played his last game for Everton after being fined four weeks' wages for his latest transgression) will all be unavailable. That means that Phil Neville will likely play at left back, his favoured position and one he occupied regularly in his time at Old Trafford, behind the returning Steven Pienaar who, with the cup no longer an issue, is free to play out of the rest of the season, fitness permitting. Sylvain Distin is also an option to deputise for Baines but it would not a big surprise to see the French defender drop back to the substitute's bench after his catastrophic error at Wembley last week. Moyes insisted in his pre-match press conference that the vetern defender was coping fine but he may still rotate the 34 year-old defender out in favour of Phil Jagielka. If Neville switches flanks, Tony Hibbert would come back into the starting XI at right back and it's likely that Leon Osman, Marouane Fellaini and ex-Red Devil Darron Gibson will keep their places in midfield. Tim Cahill and Nikica Jelavic are the expected candidates to lead the line up front despite misfiring as a pair against Liverpool. Moyes ruled out starting a player as inexperienced as Ross Barkley against such daunting opposition but the teenager could well find himself on the bench and given some playing time as a substitute to get a taste of big-venue experience. The manager is correct, though, in his assessment of the pressure being lifted from his team somewhat by their elimination from the cup and their record on this ground over the past couple of decades. Yes, there is still plenty left to play for in the remaining five games but there is no expectation that the Blues will win this one so they can certainly under-promise and over-deliver. The burial of their Old Trafford hoodoo would certainly set the cat among the pigeons in the title race which narrowed again when United lost at Wigan 10 days ago. Manchester City are desperate for the Blues to do them a favour and spring a surprise but it's going to take a hugely more cohesive and attacking display than the debacle at Wembley for them to do it. They have nothing to lose, though, except yet another league fixture at Old Trafford so they should just go out and give it a damned good go. As Blackburn have already found out this season, you never know what might happen! Lyndon Lloyd Quotes or other material sourced from ToffeeWeb Live Matchday Forum Reader Comments (48) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. About these ads