The Merseyside Derby is one of the most intense games in the football world. Everton and Liverpool have 123 years of history between themselves and since 13th of October 1894 and Everton's 3-0 win, we saw 227 meetings in total, 90 of them in which Liverpool won, Everton in 66 and 71 were finished with a draw.
Although it is called a Friendly derby, things on the pitch are always fierce and aggressive, and we expect nothing less this Saturday at Anfield Road, when Anthony Taylor blows the whistle at 13:30 pm CET.
The home team is currently at the fourth place on the table, and they are in desperate need of a win, as they have to continue their run for the Champions League spot.
Everton is seventh in the standings, and they also have to win because European competitions are near them and they have 50 points same as Arsenal in the sixth place and two less than Manchester United, but with two games more.
After the international break, both teams suffered a huge blow considering injuries. Adam Lallana who was a spark of creativity in Liverpool's offense will be out for this match as he picked up an injury during his time with the English national team. Roberto Firminho and Phillipe Coutinho had a private jet flight to Liverpool after their games in South American World Cup qualification, but it is questionable whether they can adjust and rest after a long flight and tough games. Also, Firminho had the flu and he is highly doubtful for this match. Danny Ings and Daniel Sturridge are out for a longer time, but the good news is that the skipper Jordan Henderson is ready to play in this game, and the only thing questionable is whether is he fit for the whole 90 minutes.
Jurgen Klopp has one motive more, and that is the fact that he could became the first coach in Liverpool's history who won first three Merseyside Derbies.
The Toffees lost defender, Seamus Coleman, who suffered a horrific injury in World Cup qualifications, after a savage challenge by Niel Taylor from Waels. For Coleman the season is over, and we hope that this injury doesn't influence his future career. Also, Funes Mori, the Argentinian picked up an injury during international break and he will be out, too, until the end of the season. Morgan Schneiderlin is redy for this game, despite some concernes about his condition. Everton has 15 different players who scored this season, and they are the best in English Premier League in that category, so they hope that they could compensate these injuries.
Since 1999 Everton didn't win at Anfield, and that tells you who is the favorite in this game. Liverpool is in a must win situation and they just have to beat Everton.
Unlike the first game we can expect game with more goals, because there is no time for tactics now, as the season end aproaches. We will see a high tempo game, with lots of duels at the middle of the pitch, typical for this derby, and we think that Liverpool wil win. Also, we have a feeling that we will see 3 or more goals in this match.
