After suffering a shock elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of the minnows Plymouth Argyle, Liverpool will turn their attention towards the Premier League as they are set to face Everton in the last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
The Reds saw their quadruple hopes evaporate when they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Plymouth on Sunday, having produced a strong comeback win against Tottenham Hotspur to qualify for the EFL Cup finals a few days earlier. However, Arne Slot’s men will be keen to avoid the setback affecting their other endeavours as they have a great chance to establish an unassailable lead at the top of the league table this Wednesday.
Having decimated most of their opponents this season, Liverpool will look to make their local rivals as their next casualty. However, the Toffees will try to throw a spanner in the Reds’ works.
As for Everton, they had been enjoying a brief revival under David Moyes – winning three straight games, before the run ended with a 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Everton Vs Liverpool
The Last Derby At Goodison park 🔵 pic.twitter.com/EV2UoPB0X2— Alex (@AlexMacaEfc) February 10, 2025
The Toffees will look to make the atmosphere at Goodison Park as hostile as possible considering this will be the final Merseyside derby at the historic ground. Liverpool, on the other hand, will hope to silence a raucous Goodison Park and move nine points clear at the top of the table.
Everton vs Liverpool – Team News
Everton
Seamus Coleman remains doubtful for the Merseyside derby apart from the long-term absentees, including Dominic Calvert Lewin, Armando Broja, Dwight McNeil and Youssef Chermiti.
Moyes will continue to stick with his strongest XI, featuring Beto, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Iliman Ndiaye – who have been in a great run of form of late.
Liverpool
Arne Slot made wholesale changes to the starting eleven against Plymouth. He will return to his go-to eleven against the Toffees, and star names like Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker, and Virgil van Dijk will look to make a statement after an embarrassing exit in the FA Cup.
The Reds were dealt a fresh injury blow after Joe Gomez limped off with an apparent hamstring issue against Plymouth. Slot expressed his anxiety over the defender’s fitness, meaning he is certain to miss the game against Everton. Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold is also doubtful for Wednesday’s clash, having missed the last two games.
Everton vs Liverpool – Probable Line-ups
Everton Predicted XI: James Pickford, Viktor Mykolenko, Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Jake O’Brien, James Garner, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Jesper Lindstrom, Iliman Ndiaye, Beto
Liverpool Predicted XI: Alisson, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz
Everton vs Liverpool – Key Battles
Ndiaye vs Bradley
Iliman Ndiaye has been in fine nick of form lately, scoring in each of the last three Premier League games. The Senegalese will look to continue his impressive run and be a threat to Liverpool’s defence. Conor Bradley will have a big job to halt the forward. Bradley has impressed for the Reds this season, showcasing his quality time and again despite playing as a backup to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
An incredible Gary McAllister strike secured a memorable win at Goodison Park in ’01 🤩🔴 pic.twitter.com/tqMQK1irF7
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 10, 2025
Salah vs Branthwaite
Salah has been a defender’s worst nightmare this season, but Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite will look to do the unthinkable. One of the leading and most coveted centre-backs in the Premier League, Branthwaite has been a colossus in the backline for the Toffees. It will be interesting to see how he will deal with Salah’s threat.
Prediction: Everton 1-1 Liverpool