The Premier League features another edition of the Merseyside derby as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool lock horns with arch-rivals Everton in an important clash at Goodison Park this afternoon.
Liverpool are currently in fifth place in the Premier League standings and have shown improvement after a decidedly slow start to their campaign. The Merseyside giants edged Newcastle United to a crucial 2-1 victory in their previous game and will look to achieve a similar result this weekend.
Everton, on the other hand, are in 17th place in the league table at the moment and have been in poor form this season. The Toffees were held to a 1-1 draw by Leeds United this week and will need to take it up a notch in this fixture.
The Toffees haven’t won any of their opening five Premier League games, as Frank Lampard’s side look set for another season of struggle. Injuries haven’t been kind to Everton but it seems they could be battling to stay out of a relegation scrap once again.
As for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, injuries have hit them hard too but they battled back to score a dramatic 98th minute winner against Newcastle in midweek to put them on eight points for the season.
Everton are battling hard but Lampard’s side continue to look short in attack and that has been their main problem early in the season. The Toffees have drawn three and lost two of their games so far but they’ve conceded just six goals and at least look much better defensively. Staying solid at the back is going to be very important for them this season.
Liverpool have a slew of injuries to midfielders and defenders and Klopp has bemoaned his luck. His side have put in some strange displays as they’ve drawn against Crystal Palace and Fulham, as well as losing at Manchester United. However, they appear to be finding their feet a little and they always seem to turn up when the Merseyside Derby rolls around.
In-form Anthony Gordon is the main man for Everton as he’s put them ahead in each of their last two games, 1-1 draws at Brentford and Leeds. After Chelsea chased the 21-year-old for most of this summer, he is staying at Goodison and will be integral to Lampard’s attack, especially when Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns from injury. Amadou Onana has also looked very good and will be an important player in midfield.
Liverpool’s main men in attack have been Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino, while youngsters Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott have chipped in with goals as they’ve been forced to play regularly due to injuries. Mohamed Salah has yet to get going this season.
Liverpool have managed to stage a comeback in the Premier League but have a mountain to climb in the coming months. Jurgen Klopp’s men are seven points off the top of the table and cannot afford to drop points in this fixture but Everton can pack a punch on their day but have struggled to impose themselves so far this season. Liverpool are the better team on paper and should be able to win this game.