By Ben Shaw

Liverpool make their first trip to Hill Dickinson in the highly anticipated 248th rendition of the Merseyside Derby.

The Reds come into this one with a heavy heart after a torrid run of form including crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of PSG for the second consecutive year.

Match Preview

Despite the tumultuous season, Liverpool should be feeling somewhat confident given the 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in September thanks to goals from Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch.

Everton are the more in-form side of the two however, beating Burnley, Newcastle and most notably Chelsea in a spell which gives The Toffees an outside chance of European football next season. The Toffees have lost six times at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the league, with only the bottom five clubs losing more often at home in the Premier League this season.

Merseyside Derbies at Goodison Park always seemed to go one of two ways for Liverpool, dispatching the blues with ease in instances such as December 2021 where Klopp’s Liverpool put four past Everton. Yet, there have been considerably more disappointing results most notably James Tarkowski’s dramatic late equaliser in the very last Goodison Derby to deny Slot a huge step towards the Premier League title. Though, many Liverpool fans look back on this result in hindsight as a good thing, it allowed Liverpool to seal the 24/25 title at Anfield.

Team News

Hugo Ekitike will be the standout absence for Liverpool, after the club confirmed he suffered a serious Achilles injury during the 2-0 loss to Paris Saint Germain through the week. He isn’t expected to return until the end of 2026 in the best case scenario. Alexander Isak looks poised to start after numerous cameos in recent weeks as he builds his match fitness. Joe Gomez also will be unavailable after being brought off against PSG despite being a named substitute himself, saying that he felt as though running any further would result in a longer term injury.

For the hosts, Moyes confirmed Charly Alcaraz is available after recovering from an injury that has kept him out since February, while long-term absentee Jack Grealish remains sidelined with a foot problem.

Predicted XI's

Liverpool; Mamardashivilli, Frimpong, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Wirtz, Szobszlai, Salah, Isak

Everton; Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Garner, Gueye, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Beto.

Verdict