Everton host Liverpool in the first-ever Merseyside Derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as both teams continue their push for European football next season.
For Liverpool, a poor season went from bad to worse, as they lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday night, to lose 4-0 on aggregate. They now have only the top five in the Premier League to play for, as they look to confirm their place in next season’s Champions League.
Everton are currently eighth, five points behind Liverpool, who are fifth. A win is imperative for David Moyes’s team to keep alive their faint hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. It has already been an impressive season for Moyes’ men, but they will want to end it on a high, and there is no better way to begin the business end of the season than a win over their local rivals.
In the reverse fixture, Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 at Anfield in September, in a game where first-half goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike put LIverpool in command before Idrissa Gueye halved the lead early in the second half.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event in the UK, NBC in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live coverage here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m. BST (10:00 a.m. ET; 6.30 p.m. IST; and 10:00 p.m. AEST)
Venue: Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Paul Howard
Injury News
Everton
Carlos Alcaraz – knock, DOUBT.
Jack Grealish – foot injury, OUT.
Liverpool
Alisson Becker – muscle injury, OUT.
Hugo Ekitike – achilles injury, OUT.
Conor Bradley – knee injury, OUT.
Giovanni Leoni – knee, OUT.
Stefan Bajcetic – hamstring, OUT.
Wataru Endo – ankle, OUT.
Talking Points
Everton’s first derby at new stadium is an opportunity to dream
Of course, Everton fans always want this positive result against Liverpool more than any other game of the season. There are huge incentives for them this season, though. First, and most basic, is that this is the first derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and they would love to begin with a win against the red side of the Merseyside.
However, beyond just the bragging rights, Everton are fighting for European football next season. And it’s not just any European football, they will have a tangible chance of making it to next season’s Champions League. They will only be two points off Liverpool if they win this game, and given the iffy form of both Liverpool and Chelsea, a win in this game will give Everton a serious chance of finishing in the top five.
Liverpool have six games to save their season
Liverpool’s season will only be classified as a poor one irrespective of whether they qualify for next season’s Champions League or not. However, not qualifying for the Champions League could be a real disaster, particularly with respect to the summer business that Liverpool may have lined up.
With a four point advantage over their nearest rivals for that last Champions League slot at the moment, Liverpool are definitely favourites to finish fifth, but that picture could change swiftly, particularly if they lose this derby to Everton. Liverpool still have to face Manchester United and Aston Villa away, and Chelsea and Brentford at home, all teams who are in and around Slot’s side in the table.
So Liverpool will know that they need to start building momentum. They’ll take confidence from how they started that second half against PSG in the second leg, but they’ll need to produce that kind of football for sustained, longer periods of time.
What is Liverpool’s plan without Ekitike?
Well, they did spend a club-record amount of money on signing Alexander Isak in the summer. He’s fit and ready now, and in a crunch part of the season, Liverpool will be hoping that their record signing steps up and sends them through to next season’s Champions League.
The absence of Ekitike might also see a more active role for Rio Ngumoha on the left wing. The teenager was outstanding against Fulham last weekend, as he has been in a lot of his appearances in the recent past. He’s the one Liverpool attacker who has looked like making things happen in the final third, so with only one game a week for the rest of the season now, it will be interesting to see how Slot uses Ngumoha.
Garner vs Szoboszlai a key battle
James Garner has had a storming season for Everton. It’s one that has put him on the cusp of going to the World Cup with England. However, the job isn’t yet done for the former Manchester United man. In this derby, he faces a tough midfield battle against the player who has undoubtedly been Liverpool’s best this season — Dominik Szoboszlai.
Szoboszlai has been the one player in Liverpool’s midfield who has managed to hit the same levels or better himself from last season’s title-winning campaign. Both Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have been shadows of the players they were last season. So once again, it’s likely to be down to the Hungarian to get Liverpool ticking in midfield.
What do the numbers say?
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Everton won just one of their last 14 games against Liverpool at Goodison Park.
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If Liverpool win at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday, they will become the first club to win at 60 different grounds in the Premier League era.
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Only Bruno Fernandes, with 75, has created more chances from open play this seaosn in the Premier League, than Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz, who has 50.
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Everton will hit 50 points with a win in this game, it would be the first time they achieve that mark since the 2020-21 season.
