Date: Saturday, November 23 Venue: Goodison Park Kick-Off: 12:45
Saturday will see the first Merseyside Derby of the season, with both sides having started well, with only 3 point separating them. Nicknamed the 'friendly derby' this is far from the truth, with the fixture seeing more red cards than any other in the Premier League. With two managers, having a propensity towards playing possession football, this should be a very entertaining game.
Team News:
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has a fully-fit squad to select from after reporting no fresh injury concerns. Defenders Antolin Alcaraz and Tony Hibbert are back in contention after returning from long spells on the sidelines, but are unlikely to feature.
Liverpool will be without fullback Jose Enrique, who has been ruled out with a knee injury which may require surgery, while manager Brendan Rodgers has concerns over Daniel Sturridge, who has been nursing a dead leg, but will probably fight through the pain for this big game.
Key Stats:
- Everton's only win in the last 13 Premier League Merseyside derbies was a 2-0 victory at Goodison Park in October 2010, which was Liverpool's first game under new owner John W Henry.
- Everton have lost seven of those 13 games and failed to score in eight (W1, D5, L7).
- Saturday's match will be the 221st Merseyside derby, and the 189th in the league. Liverpool lead by 87 wins to Everton's 66 in all competitions.
- Liverpool possess 2/3 of the leading Premier League scorers in Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez (8)
- There have been at least 3 goals in 15 of Liverpool’s previous 18 away games with 9 of their last 13 providing 4 or more.
- Everton have scored first in 9 out of 11 home matches.
- Everton along with Southampton have only lost 1 game in the Premier League so far.
Match Preview:
Liverpool return from the International break having convincingly beaten a poor Fulham side. Undoubtedly, Everton's defence will be less accommodating, although the Toffees last two games have seen uninspiring goalless draws against Tottenham and Fulham.
Everton's defence and mifield have been solid, with Gareth Barry and James McCarthy looking like a strong midfield pairing, and Kevin Mirallas and Steven Pienaar providing flair going forward. Furthmore, the young Ross Barkley has been a revelation for the Toffees and could provide a threat going forward. However, Everton are over-reliant on the beast that is Romelu Lukaku up front. Nikica Jelavic is still struggling for form, and as the last two games have shown, when Lukaku isn't at his best, Everton don't score.
Liverpool's problems are found further back with the new 'SAS' scoring 16 goals between them, the Reds certainly aren't short of goals. Liverpool's biggest issues are in midfield, with Lucas not at his peak and Gerrard doing well against the smaller clubs, but struggling against the likes of Southampton and Arsenal, teams, like Everton that will keep the ball. Jordan Henderson has been a shining light for Liverpool this season, working hard to support play all over the pitch. Phillipe Coutinho is back for the Reds, and much like Barkely for Everton, the youngster could pose a real threat transitioning from midfield to attack. With Jose Enrique out, Aly Cissokho may have to play again, despite looking very suspect against Arsenal, and with so many options at Centre-back, Rodgers may prefer to play one of Agger or Sakho (who was involved in 2 goals for France on Tuesday) in his place. Liverpool are 11 points and 11 places better off than at this stage last season, and in order to keep the momentum going owner John W. Henry laid on his private jet to whisk Luis Suarez from Montevideo to Merseyside following Uruguay's World Cup qualification on Wednesday.
The two principal architects behind the Swansea success story, both Rodgers and Martinez were interviewed for the Liverpool job in the summer of 2012, and will now meet for the first time as Merseyside rivals. This promises to be a tight, but exciting affair- Everton are solid at home and have a tight defence, Liverpool have looked superb away and are in fine scoring form.
The two principal architects behind the Swansea success story, both Rodgers and Martinez were interviewed for the Liverpool job in the summer of 2012, and will now meet for the first time as Merseyside rivals. This promises to be a tight, but exciting affair- Everton are solid at home and have a tight defence, Liverpool have looked superb away and are in fine scoring form.
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