Liverpool and Everton lock horns in the Merseyside derby for the second time in two months when the two long-standing rivals go head-to-head at Anfield in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
James Tarkowski‘s staggering 98th-minute equaliser for Everton at Goodison Park in February bid the Grand Old Lady a fond derby farewell, but that result has done little in the grand scheme of things to knock Liverpool off course in their quest for the title.
Match preview
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If this fixture was played two weeks ago, the Liverpool faithful would have been hugely pessimistic about achieving another routine home win over their local rivals, that they have become so accustomed to, given the week from hell they suffered before the international break.
Arne Slot‘s side were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on the Tuesday, before going to Wembley and losing the EFL Cup final to Newcastle United on the Sunday, ending their treble hopes abruptly and leaving them with just one front to fight on in the final two months of the season.
Liverpool were also far from convincing at home to Southampton in their last league outing, but they are still cruising to a second title in five years, 12 points ahead of a faltering Arsenal at the Premier League summit.
The hosts have still not lost a Premier League game since their defeat on gameweek four against Nottingham Forest here, with the subsequent 19 home games producing 17 wins and two draws, before losing to PSG in their last-16 tie.
Liverpool have also scored at least twice in their last 15 domestic home matches, and it is nearly a decade since they failed to win either derby in a league season, barring the one played behind closed doors in 2020-21.
A highly-charged derby in February, ending in remarkable circumstances, saw Everton snatch a point in the final seconds of injury time, before Abdoulaye Doucoure and Curtis Jones were sent off for clashing following the full-time whistle.
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That has moved this fixture further ahead in the all-time Premier League red card count, with 25, while only Chelsea-Manchester United (27) has ended in a draw more often in the competition than this one (26).
A repeat of that result is unlikely though, because while Liverpool are often slightly underwhelming at Goodison, they are dominant in Anfield derbies, winning all of the previous seven played in front of a crowd, while they are unbeaten in 26 in the 21st century.
Everton are a completely different animal under Moyes though, having now gone on a nine-game unbeaten run in the league – their longest since February 2017.
Relegation fears are long gone for a second-straight season on the blue half of Merseyside, thanks to Moyes’s exceptional impact which has seen him take as many points in his 10 games in charge (17) than any team currently in the bottom three have all season.
However, after picking up his 11th Premier League Manager of the Month award in February, Moyes has seen Everton tail off slightly, with four straight draws since a late win at Crystal Palace, with performances against Wolves and West Ham United particularly underwhelming.
Draws have accounted for 45% of Everton’s results this season, the most in the club’s history, with 13 of their 29 league games ending level so far.
Another will be more than acceptable here, and Moyes will gladly take that considering he has lost on his last nine trips to Anfield, and has still never won here, with 19 of those coming in the Premier League – the longest run any manager has suffered away to a single club in its history.
Team News
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Injuries have been kind to Liverpool this season, but they are beginning to mount at right-back, where Slot was without his three first-choice options in that position for the EFL Cup final, after Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley on the sidelines.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alisson both pulled out of international duty last week, but they should return imminently with both issues not thought to be that serious.
Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have all come in for criticism in recent weeks for their performances, but one is set to get the nod in attack alongside Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo, with Federico Chiesa‘s cup-final goal unlikely to be enough to earn him a start.
After a tortuous time with injuries for much of the season, Everton are beginning to get their strongest XI back together, with both Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil back in training, even though neither are set to be ready for this one.
That means Carlos Alcaraz, Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison will compete for the two starting wide berths, either side of Doucoure, who was sent off in the reverse fixture, but should start behind the striker.
Vitalii Mykolenko is doubtful with a thigh injury picked up on international duty, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin remains sidelined up front, but Armando Broja returned shortly before the break, where he played twice for Albania, and will provide competition to Beto.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Quansah, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young; Alcaraz, Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Harrison; Beto
We say: Liverpool 2-0 Everton
The international break came at the perfect time for a Liverpool side whose season was threatening to tail off after seeing their hopes for two major honours fall by the wayside, and Slot has since had two weeks to reset and get his players back on track.
Everton’s record at Anfield in the 21st century is among the worst any club has suffered against another in Premier League history, with their solitary win coming behind closed doors in 2021, and an eighth straight defeat in front of a crowd is likely, despite their current nine-game unbeaten streak.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
