Everton v Manchester United betting tips

• 20:00 GMT on Sky Sports Main Event
• Match odds:

Both Everton and Manchester United have hit back superbly from a run of poor results. Three straight defeats has been followed by 13 points from a possible 18 for the Toffees and they now sit fourth in the Premier League table.

Remarkably, a United side whose season seems to have lurched from crisis to crisis are above them on goal difference and have a game in hand. Win that, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men will be just two points behind leaders Liverpool.

Now the focus shifts to the Carabao Cup though, and securing a place in the last four. For the neutral this feels like a contest that could be really entertaining as both teams have built their success on attacking rather than defending.

Everton have improved at the latter in recent weeks, being breached only once in three games since Carlo Ancelotti decided the best way to overcome a lack of fit full-backs was by solely selecting centre-halves in a narrow back four.

Even so, the prospect of a packed festive programme means that the well-drilled defence of Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey will in all likelihood be broken up as the Toffees boss makes a few changes to his starting XI.

That's enough to nudge me towards backing the both teams to score and over 3.5 goals combination at 7/4, as prior to their recent defensive revival Everton had failed to keep a league clean sheet since the opening weekend.

Now they face a Manchester United team with a voracious appetite for goals no matter who is selected.

Eight of United's last 10 fixtures have seen BTTS and over 3.5 goals, including when these sides met in the Premier League on November 7 and Solskjaer's team came from behind to win 3-1.