Goodison Park plays host to its final Merseyside derby on Saturday morning and the stakes are appropriately high for a farewell to one of the grand old grounds of English football. After a last gasp draw at Newcastle in midweek, visitors Liverpool will be eager to start this round of fixtures by putting daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.
For Everton this may be one of the biggest games of the season but it sets the stage for a pivotal run of games against the best the Premier League has to offer. Between now and Boxing Day, it is Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. At a time when there are already murmurs of discontent over Sean Dyche, a rousing derby win is just what is needed.
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, December 7 | Time: 7:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Goodison Park -- Liverpool, United Kingdom
- TV: USA | Live stream: fuboTV
- Odds: Everton +600; Draw +360; Liverpool -225
Team news
Everton: After a morale-boosting 4-0 thumping of Wolves in midweek, it is hard to envisage wholesale changes from Dyche, although "a couple of knocks" from Wednesday will be cause for concern even if none of them are too serious. There is also the matter of Armando Broja's lively if brief cameo off the bench, the first minutes the injury-hit Chelsea loanee has got this season. Still with Dyche offering words of encouragement to Dominic Calvert-Lewin it is hard to believe there will be much change at the tip of Everton's attack.
Whatever the XI, there will be a 12th man for the Toffees to call on with Goodison Park certain to offer a boisterous farewell to Liverpool in what will, barring a meeting in the later rounds of the FA Cup, be the final time this venerable old ground hosts its greatest rival. "It brings our fans to the fore again," said Dyche. "It is for the people and the crowds - if we can win, it is for them and not me."
Possible Everton XI: Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Ndiaye, Gueye, Mangala, McNeil; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin
Liverpool: It won't be far off "as you were" for Liverpool as they look to negotiate a crisis of numbers at the back: Alisson, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas still on the sidelines for Arne Slot's side. With no Diogo Jota either the selection dilemma at the top of the pitch is whether a misfiring Darwin Nunez leads the line or Cody Gakpo comes in, potentially forcing Luis Diaz infield. Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to return after a neat cameo against Newcastle, but Alexis Mac Allister is suspended.
Possible Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
Prediction
No game in Premier League history matches the Merseyside derby for games drawn 0-0. Why not an unlucky 13th for Liverpool? PICK: Everton 0, Liverpool 0
