Ericson Mangoli
The 288th Merseyside derby is arguably the most difficult to call for a number of years with Premier League leaders Everton set to entertain wounded champions, Liverpool, at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime.
(African Stand) — Liverpool makes the short trip to Goodison Park to take on high-flying Everton in the first Merseyside derby of the new season.
The Toffees have enjoyed a magnificent start to the season and sit top of the Premier League table after winning each of their first four games.
Summer signings Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan, and James Rodriguez have hit the ground running, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is among the form strikers in Europe.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were hammered 7-2 by Aston Villa in a bizarre result before the international break and will be looking to bounce straight back.
Date, time, and venue
Everton vs Liverpool is scheduled for a 12:30 pm BST kick-off on Saturday, October 17, 2020.
The match will be behind closed doors at Goodison Park with no fans due to being present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.
Team news
Liverpool could welcome back the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane after the pair tested positive for coronavirus while Jordan Henderson returned to action for England during the international break but goalkeeper Alisson Becker is still out injured.
Everton are sweating on the fitness of Lucas Digne after the full-back was forced off during France’s meeting with Croatia in midweek.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Saturday’s game will come ten years to the day since Everton’s last win over Liverpool in any competition, a 2-0 Premier League success at Goodison in 2010.
However, Liverpool hasn’t won at Everton since 2016, with this fixture ending 0-0 in each of the last three seasons.
Prediction: Everton 2-2 Liverpool
It must be some time since Everton have gone into a Merseyside derby with as much confidence and momentum, but the international break may just have given Liverpool a chance to reset and get key players back to fitness.
