Arne Slot’s men are about an hour or so away from playing their first-ever Merseyside Derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, in an affair that’s a must-win for the travelling Reds.
While Manchester City versus Arsenal is a blockbuster game later on in the Premier League, all eyes will be on the Mersey this afternoon, as David Moyes’ Everton do battle with Liverpool, aiming to pile the misery even higher for the Dutchman’s side.
For Slot, today’s clash is about more than just local pride; it is a vital exercise in damage control. Following on from the demoralizing 2-0 exit in the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, the Dutchman knows that only a convincing victory will begin to mend fences with a fanbase growing increasingly restless.
In a bid to rediscover a lost spark, Slot has shuffled his deck, making key personnel changes from the midweek disappointment as he searches for a formula to reignite Liverpool’s stuttering season.
Confirmed Liverpool XI vs Everton
Unsurprisingly, Slot has decided to stick with Giorgi Mamardashivili in goal, as Alisson is still out of first-team contention through injury. It’s a big game for the Georgian, as he tries to keep the likes of Iliman Ndiaye at arm’s length.
Making up the back four in front of the ex-Valencia goalkeeper are Dominik Szoboszlai, Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Andy Robertson, with Robertson’s past experiences of such a tense encounter, perhaps just giving him the edge over Milos Kerkez in the left-back department.
Szoboszlai will hope he can put in a memorable showing, as well, as he lines up for his 100th game as a Liverpool player at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In the holding midfield positions, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones are the pairing preferred by Slot today, with the attack also shaken up slightly for the tough clash ahead.
Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, and Cody Gakpo make up the spots in the side, just behind lone striker Alexander Isak, with Salah keen to pick up another superb goal for his beloved Reds, in what is his final ever Merseyside Derby, across an illustrious Premier League career.
Isak will also be desperate to get on the scoresheet himself, as he’s Slot’s main marksman now in attack, in the absence of Hugo Ekitike, who pulled up with a season-ending injury last time out against PSG.
The under-fire head coach has plenty of options he could possibly rely on from off the bench, if the game is predictably cagey, with Rio Nguhoma perhaps unfortunate to drop down to the substitutes, after an electric showing against Luis Enrique’s visitors.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
Substitutes: Chiesa, Frimpong, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Nguhoma, Nyoni, Pecsi, Woodman
Everton: Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Beto
Substitutes: Alcaraz, Barry, Dibling, George, Iroegbunam, Keane, Patterson, Rohl, Travers
