It’s one of the biggest matches in the Premier League and with both clubs in decent form, the final Merseyside derby of the season has the potential to be an exciting game.
Liverpool need a win to keep the small cushion between themselves and Manchester United, who have two games in hand. Everton, who are just behind Manchester United in the race for European qualification need to win to keep the pressure on the Red Devils going in to their match in mid-week.
After a dreadful start to 2017, Liverpool’s form has picked up recently and Jurgen Klopp’s team secured a good point at Manchester City before the international break. It’s now three games without defeat in the Premier League for Liverpool, including wins over Arsenal and Burnley.
Trends also show Liverpool have won their last three home matches in a row and the signs are there that the Reds are returning to winning ways.
Everton make the short trip to Anfield in good form themselves. The Toffees have lost only one of their last twelve Premier League games, which was a 3-2 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. During that run of matches, Ronald Koeman’s team have been scoring plenty of goals, including 3 against Southampton, 4 against Manchester City, 6 against Bournemouth, 3 against West Bromwich Albion and 4 against Hull City.
Away from home, Everton have lost just one of their last five in the Premier League, which was at White Hart Lane. However, wins have been difficult to come by and the only victory in that spell of games came at Crystal Palace. The three other matches at Hull, Stoke and Middlesbrough ended in draws.
Trends show Liverpool have lost just one home Premier League game this season, so Everton must up their game away from home, if they are to take something from this match.
One key element of the match which could be in Everton’s favour is the state of the Liverpool squad following the international fixtures. Both Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho played for Brazil on Thursday night and it would be surprising if either player was 100% fit. Adam Lallana picked up an injury with England and will be out for about a month, which is going to be a huge miss to Liverpool, at a crucial stage of the season.
There’s also bad news for Everton on the injury front, with defender Ramiro Funes Mori a doubt following an injury picked up while playing for Argentina against Bolivia. Seamus Coleman suffered an horrendous leg break playing for Republic of Ireland and James McCarthy and Morgan Schneiderlin are also likely to miss out.
The question is, which team are going to cope better following the international break? Liverpool’s forward line could be well below par, which must be a concern for Klopp. However, Everton could be missing two key defenders, which will make a huge difference to their team.
You must go back to 2010 to find the last time Everton defeated Liverpool and 1999 to find the last time they defeated their rivals at Anfield. Everton have struggled at times away from home this season and if they are to get something from the match, it’s likely to be a point.