Well…it’s that time of the season again. No words will suffice in dressing up Liverpool’s fixture on Tuesday night; It is THE Derby.
This will not be any normal derby, by any stretch of the imagination. A packed Anfield will provide a rousing atmosphere within which both teams will do battle, and they will be certainly playing to win. A David Moyes side may not have ever struck fear into the hearts of Liverpool, but a Roberto Martinez side is an entirely different prospect. That is not to say that Liverpool should fear their neighbours, of course they shouldn’t, but they will have to be wary of the threat from across Stanley Park, more so than ever before.
The Reds will look to learn from the previous encounter between the sides, at Goodison Park in November, after a thrilling game saw Daniel Sturridge rescue a point after Liverpool had twice led. That game finished 3-3, and there was endless analysis of key points afterwards, mainly focused on a miss by Joe Allen which would have put Liverpool ahead 3-1. However, he didn’t score and suddenly Romelu Lukaku stirred into life and Everton were 3-2 up themselves. The aforementioned Sturridge header saved the day, but my personal favourite memory of that match was an outrageous free kick from Luis Suarez (yes, another!), which stunned Tim Howard.
If Liverpool are to get a positive result tonight, they will be hoping that striking duo Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are on top form. The pair have been the Reds’ main offensive outlet this season, particularly in front of the Anfield faithful. Everton can cause Liverpool potential problems, mainly via the sheer presence of forward Romelu Lukaku, who netted twice earlier in the year at Goodison. They will be boosted by the league return of Leighton Baines, who will presumably start at left back after Bryan Oviedo suffered a horrific leg break during the FA Cup weekend.
As well as Oviedo being out of the squad, Steven Pienaar, Ross Barkley, Gerard Deulofeu, Aruna Kone, Seamus Coleman, Darren Gibson, Antolin Alcaraz and Sylvain Distin are all either unavailable or doubtful. The injury problems are by no means one sided either, as Liverpool will be missing Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique, Sebastian Coates (he does still exist), Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Agger and Lucas Leiva. Joe Allen’s injury situation has been described as ‘touch and go’, but John Flanagan should be fit after making a return to action 3 days ago against Bournemouth.
And so, the Merseyside Derby is once again looming. The game takes place with just 1 point separating the teams, the league is tighter than ever before – the onus is on Liverpool to deliver.
Predicted result: Liverpool 2-1 Everton
Predicted Line ups:
Liverpool: Mignolet, Flanagan, Skrtel, Toure, Cissokho, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge, Suarez.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Stones, Jagielka, Baines, McCarthy, Barry, Osman, Mirallas, McGeady, Lukaku.
Betting tips
Both teams to score – These two sides have had free scoring spells in the league this season, and Liverpool’s suspect defence coupled with their incredible attacking prowess could combine to make this a safe bet.
Liverpool to win – Lets have a bit of optimism! Liverpool haven’t lost at home in the Premier League to Everton in over a decade, and will fancy their chances tomorrow night.
Anytime scorers – There are 3 players who will enter the game tomorrow full of goal-scoring confidence; Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suarez and Romelu Lukaku. I wouldn’t bet against any of them not scoring.
Over 2.5 goals – There will probably be goals in this one, and over 2.5 is very possible whe you look at the scoring records of both sides this season.
