EPL | Liverpool v Everton Preview

 

The red and blue halves of Merseyside are set to collide once again when Anfield forms the backdrop for the 240th meeting between Liverpool and Everton, with possibly the biggest disparity between form and status the Merseyside derby has ever seen. Liverpool are in the midst of chasing a historic quadruple crown, while Everton are just hoping to maintain their Premier League (PL) status for next season. The ‘Reds’ extended their unbeaten PL streak in 2022 to 13 games (W11, D2) by hammering rivals Manchester United 4-0 and cementing their tag as the league’s highest scorers this term, as they lay in wait ready to pounce on any slip-up by leaders Manchester City. At home, manager Jürgen Klopp has only strengthened his affection with the Kop, guiding his side to an undefeated PL home record this season, out-scoring their last 11 league visitors 33-2 in total, while keeping nine clean sheets in this time! Considering the form of the two sides and Liverpool’s 4-1 win in the reverse fixture, this could be a painful affair for the blue half of Merseyside, whose historic 2-0 win in this fixture last season serves as their only victory in the last 25 H2H meetings (D12, L12). Everton have at least put together back-to-back PL results without defeat for the first time since October (W1, D1), giving Frank Lampard’s men the edge in the relegation battle. Although this is one of the shortest away trips across the globe, the ‘Toffees’ form on their travels has been anything but sweet. They’ve lost their last six PL away matches while accumulating the least away points this season with six, meaning Everton fans will more than likely be looking beyond this game in the battle for safety.

Players to watch: Two of Mohamed Salah’s 30 goals this season came in the reverse fixture, with Liverpool yet to experience defeat when the Egyptian gets on the scoresheet all campaign long (W19, D4). For the opposition, Richarlison has scored his side’s opener in 11 of his last 12 PL goalscoring outings.

Hot stat: Liverpool have seen 11 of their 13 home wins this PL season come by a 2+ goal margin.