Liverpool and Everton meet again at Anfield on Sunday for the most played match in the history of the FA Cup.
This third-round tie is the 25th meeting between the teams in the competition, and as always, it’s set to be a thriller.
The Reds head into Sunday’s clash having won 11 straight top-flight games. This outstanding run has seen Jurgen Klopp’s side open up a 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
After securing qualification for the Champions League Round of 16, along with winning the Club World Cup in December, it’s fair to say the squad has coped remarkably well during a hectic festive period.
Liverpool brushed aside Sheffield United in their previous match – breaking the Premier League’s all-time passing record on their way to a comfortable 2-0 victory.
The Reds now look on course to claim their first-ever Premier League title, but will Klopp continue with his theme of fielding weakened teams in domestic competitions?
Following a dismal start to the 2019/20 campaign, Everton have been enjoying a mini revival, firstly under caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson and now new permanent manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Marco Silva was sacked after a humiliating 5-2 defeat in the most recent Merseyside derby at the start of December.
Since then, Everton have lost just one of their six league games – beating Chelsea, Burnley and Newcastle in that time.
After lingering around the relegation zone for much of the season, this promising recent run of results has seen the Toffees climb to 11th in the Premier League standings.
Still, Everton have failed to beat Liverpool in 20 previous attempts. Everton’s last victory in this fixture came all the way back in 2010, while Liverpool have beaten their fierce rivals 10 times since then.
The Toffees recent head-to-head record in this fixture suggests they are likely to struggle against a seemingly unstoppable Liverpool side once again.
It’s also worth pointing out that Everton have been eliminated in the FA Cup third round in three of the last five seasons.
Liverpool are still without Joel Matip, Xherdan Shaqiri, Dejan Lovren and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Naby Keita is also a major doubt after picking up an injury in the warm up against Sheff Utd.
Everton could welcome back Morgan Schneiderlin, but Alex Iwobi and Bernard are likely to need more time to recover from injury.
When you couple Liverpool’s current form with their recent head-to-head record in this fixture, all the signs are pointing towards a home win.
Forebet predicts that Liverpool will score over 2.5 goals on their way to victory. However, both teams could find the back of the net.