Paul Merson cannot see Manchester United getting a victory against Everton on Sunday because Frank Lampard's side have become so difficult to break down.
And according to the Sky Sports pundit, Erik Ten Hag's decision to play Cristiano Ronaldo against Cypriot minnows Omonia Nicosia on Thursday evening rules out a start for the Portuguese legend at Goodison Park.
Former Arsenal and England star Merson has been making his weekly match predictions in his regular column for sportskeeda. The Toffees are currently two points behind United in the Premier League table and unbeaten in their last six outings, having won both of the previous two matches.
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Writing about the Blues' showdown with United, ahead of the Red Devils' Europa League fixture on Thursday evening, Merson said: "Everton have done really well in recent weeks and I've been impressed with what Frank Lampard has done at the club so far. He's getting the absolute best out of the players at his disposal, which is what the fans want to see.
"I don't see Manchester United winning this game, as Everton are notoriously hard to break down and tend to frustrate teams like they did so against Liverpool. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to play in the UEFA Europa League later today, but will he play against Everton?
"My feeling is that if he starts against Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus, there's no way Erik ten Hag names him in the starting XI for a Premier League game on Sunday evening. There's been a lot of talk about Ronaldo's situation in recent weeks but I'm not really sure what the future holds for him. Ten Hag said he didn't want to disrespect what he's achieved in his career so far by bringing him on when Manchester United had virtually lost the game against Manchester City, but I think it's disrespectful in the first place to not be playing someone of Ronaldo's stature regularly!"
Merson has predicted that the match on Sunday will finish 1-1, but one of his other predictions as already come to pass. Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes of United's Europa League game in Cyprus - a match in which the Premier League side fell a goal behind before coming back to win 3-2.
In the Premier League, United had won their previous four matches before they were trounced 6-3 by Manchester City last Sunday.
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