Goodison Park is the venue for the midweek Premier League derby as Everton will go head-to-head against their Merseyside rivals Liverpool. Can Everton bounce back against their local rivals?
With five defeats in their previous six fixtures in the Premier League, Everton’s decent start to the season is slowly starting to fade from the memory. Their last victory was against Norwich City back in September. Since then, they have shown very few signs of bouncing back. The Toffees’ season has been ravaged by injuries to their prominent starting XI players, and the replacements have been uninspiring. As a result, Everton have slipped to the 14th spot in the league with four wins, three draws, and six losses in 13 matches. Last time around, they fell 1-0 against Brentford. Ivan Toney’s 24th-minute penalty proved sufficient for Brentford to secure three points. With pressure mounting on Benitez, his side are in desperate need of revival in their form if they are to finish in the top half of the table. A defeat against their local rivals Liverpool could very well start the talks of changes in management. Everton’s poor form is further highlighted by the fact that they have taken just one point from a possible nine at home. On a brighter note, Everton will be boosted by the return of Richarlison from suspension. Mason Holgate will remain unavailable as he remains suspended. Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies, Andre Gomes, and Yerry Mina are all sidelined through injuries.
In the previous match against Brentford, Everton fell short despite dominating the proceedings. They took twice the number of shots as their opponents and had a marginally better xG. Rondon took the highest number of shots while Gordon made 10 dribbles. Coleman delivered the highest number of passes to the final third while also making the highest number of recoveries in the opponent’s half.
In their recent games, Everton have been leaking many goals. They have conceded 11 goals in their previous five matches. The Toffees have conceded 20 goals in the Premier League this season, which is joint-seventh highest, while they have also been conceding more than a goal per match on average.
In contrast to their Merseyside rivals, Liverpool have been soaring through the Premier League season. They are placed at the third spot in the Premier League with eight wins, four draws, and one loss in 13 games and are separated from the league leaders Chelsea by a margin of two points. They took advantage of Chelsea’s draw against Manchester United and closed the gap by producing an impressive display against Southampton. Jurgen Klopp’s men are arriving at Goodison Park in an inspiring form and will look to produce a dominant display. Liverpool’s attacking trio of Salah, Jota, and Mane has been brilliant across all competitions. Keita, Gomez, Elliott, Firmino, and Jones are all sidelined through injuries. Jurgen Klopp does not have any new injury concerns.
Liverpool produced a dominant display at home as they dismantled Southampton 4-0. Two goals from Jota, a strike from Thiago, and another from Van-Dijk ensured Liverpool took all three points. The Reds were on top in terms of multiple attacking metrics.
Liverpool lead the Premier League in terms of goals. In addition, they are also averaging more than two goals per match, which is also the highest in the league.
Predicted XI
Everton (4-4-1-1) – Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Godfrey, Digne; Townsend, Allan, Doucoure, Iwobi; Gray; Richarlison.
Liverpool (4-3-3) – Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Mane.
Prediction
Liverpool are heavy favorites going into the match, although Everton have been able to hold off their local rivals in their recent few meetings at Goodison Park. However, Liverpool’s current form suggests that they will have enough to take home all three points.
