Liverpool v Everton preview: Team news, form guide, head-to-head, lineups, prediction
Everton return to Premier League action with a bang on Saturday (21 October) as they take on Liverpool at Anfield in the opening Merseyside derby of the season.
The Toffees saw off Bournemouth 3-0 prior to the international break for a much-needed win that has helped to lift the mood at Goodison Park, but they have had little joy in this fixture over the past couple of decades.
Preview
The victory over Bournemouth helped lift Everton out of the regelation zone, though they are still only three points above the dotted line heading into this huge match.
After starting the season with three successive league losses without scoring, the Toffees have since collected seven points from the past 15 on offer.
The slight upturn in form has come at a time when off-the-field talk has dominated the headlines, with 777 Partners’ proposed takeover of the club now looking as though it may be in jeopardy [New York Times, 18 October].
While Sean Dyche’s side have made a slow start to the campaign overall, the same cannot be said of opponents and fierce rivals Liverpool, who are sitting up in fourth on 17 points.
The Reds’ only defeat in their first eight games came away at Tottenham on 30 September – a game that will forever be remembered for that VAR howler – which they followed up with a 2-2 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion last time out.
One point from their past two games is hardly the best of form, but Jurgen Klopp will be pleased with how the opening two months of the season have gone thus far.
Form guide (all competitions)
Liverpool: WWWLWD
Everton: DLWWLW
Head-to-head (past five meetings, all comps)
Liverpool 0-2 Everton (20 February, 2021)
Everton 1-4 Liverpool (1 December, 2021)
Liverpool 2-0 Everton (24 April, 2022)
Everton 0-0 Liverpool (3 September, 2022)
Liverpool 2-0 Everton (13 February, 2023)
Team news
Seamus Coleman is back in training but not yet ready to return to competitive action, while Dele Alli and Andre Gomes are Everton’s other long-term absentees.
Idrissa Gueye sustained an injury in the warm-up prior to the Bournemouth match and, given the performances of James Garner and Amadou Onana in that contest, may struggle to win back his place in the side here.
In fact, Dyche may well stick with the same XI as he used against the Cherries, which would see Dominic Calvert-Lewin lead the line, with attacking support provided by Jack Harrison, Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
As for Liverpool, Andy Robertson dislocated his shoulder on Scotland duty and is facing a spell on the sidelines in a huge blow for the Reds. That should see Kostas Tsimikas come into the side for a run of games.
Thiago Alcantara, Cody Gakpo, Caoimhin Kelleher and Stefan Bajcetic are all nursing injuries, while Curtis Jones remains suspended after picking up a red card against Tottenham.
Klopp is blessed with plenty of options up top, and it may well be that Diogo Jota is preferred to Darwin Nunez for the early afternoon kick-off on the back of the international break.
Predicted lineups
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Jota, Diaz
Everton: Pickford; Young, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; McNeil, Garner, Onana, Harrison; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Everton
Everton supporters need no reminding of their poor record in recent Merseyside derbies, having won just one of the past 28 meetings between the sides in all competitions.
That 2-0 victory at Anfield in February 2021 was also the Toffees’ only win away at their fiercest rivals since 1999, so history is certainly not on their side.
But with this game coming fresh on the back of an international break, and Liverpool not exactly on fire prior to the two-week hiatus, we are backing Everton to return across Stanley Park with a rare point.
In other Everton news, Simon Jordan admitted he was “absolutely wrong” in a debate regarding the Toffees’ FFP case.