Differing Aims in Merseyside Derby
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The third Merseyside derby of the season will take place on Saturday, with the early kick-off making it the first of the weekends Premier League fixtures.
Having already met in the Premier League and the FA Cup, the rivalry has been well stoked this season and we are set for another tremendous instalment between the local clubs.
Everton find themselves in 9th place coming into this match and that is below expectations for the season. Following a significant outlay, many fans were hoping to challenge for Europe but that’s out of the question. The best Everton can hope to finish is 7th place.
Liverpool have 2nd place in their sights but cannot afford to take their eye off Chelsea who are hoping to break into the top four from 5th spot. A win in this game would be a massive step to securing a place in the top four.
Everton come into this match having lost 3-1 at home to Manchester City last weekend. The hosts could not compete with Pep Guardiola’s team in the first half and were blown away, losing 3-0 by half-time. The Toffees made more of a fight of it in the second 45 minutes but will be hoping to start better in this game.
Trends show Everton have won just four of their last fifteen games in all competitions and manager, Sam Allardyce, is coming under pressure form the Goodison faithful. At home is where Everton have picked up many of their points and they remained undefeated in nine of their last eleven Premier League games.
Liverpool make the short trip across Stanley Park on the back of a tremendous 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League. It was a huge result for Jurgen Klopp’s team and his players will be buzzing ahead of this match.
Trends show Liverpool have won their last three matches in a row and have responded well to the disappointing 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Reds have won four of their last five away games, scoring 13 goals in the process and will believe they can make it five wins from their last six at Goodison.
Looking ahead to the team news and Everton are still without Eliaquim Mangala, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Idrissa Gueye and James McCarthy. It will be interesting to see if Wayne Rooney keeps his place in the team having been taken off after 57 minutes against Manchester City.
Liverpool will be without central defender Joel Matip, who is out for the rest of the season and he joins fellow defender Joe Gomez and midfielder Adam Lallana on the treatment table. Mohamed Salah left the field early against Manchester City and will not be risked.
Everton were very poor for much of the game against Manchester City and will need to up their game if they are to take something from this one. Liverpool may not be at full strength but they should still have enough to maintain their recent dominance over Everton and take maximum points.
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