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Liverpool vs Everton – Match Preview

The international break has finally come to an end and there are arguably not many bigger fixtures to herald the return of Premier League action as this Lunchtime sees Liverpool take on Everton at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp’s side will be looking to carry out a Merseyside Derby double this season after already earning all three points at Goodison Park earlier in the season.

Both teams have picked up injuries to key players while the league was on hiatus with Everton coming off worse with Ramiro Funes Mori added to the injury list alongside Seamus Coleman who picked up a double leg break while playing for the Republic Of Ireland. Both men will miss the rest of the season with Coleman’s absence set to also extend into the first few months of the next.

But Liverpool have not come away unscathed and Jurgen Klopp will be ruing the fact that Adam Lallana has picked up a thigh injury which will see him miss a period of 4-5 weeks, that will see him back for the key run in period but will Liverpool have lost too much ground in the race for the top four while he is absent. That remains to be seen but Liverpool will now have to try and make sure they do not miss what has been for many their player of the season and the best way to do that is by continuing their recent run of form.

They have only lost one of their last five league outings, that defeat coming after a poor performance at defending champions Leicester who were in the first game of the post Claudio Ranieri era and it’s that run of results that has seen them occupy fourth place with a four point gap over Manchester United, although with Jose Mourinho’s men having two games in hand the gap does not look as healthy as you might think.

Failure to win all three points for Liverpool this Lunchtime will blow the race for fourth spot wide open, with the three teams above Liverpool all having played a game less you can almost split the top six into two halves now and that ultimately means that Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal are fighting over what would be the last Champions League place.

The saving grace could very well be the fact that Jose Mourinho may well feel that winning the Europa League is the easier route to return to Europe’s top tier club competition and that could give Liverpool a boost in their bid to once again Europe’s elite. But we certainly should not forget their opponents Everton who have European aspirations of their own.

With another space opening in the Europa League thanks to Manchester United’s EFL Cup win, The Toffees look more than likely to return to European action next season and they themselves will still feel that they can perhaps make a late surge for the top four. A win Today would certainly help those hopes but defeat would mean that a late gatecrash would be very unlikely.

Once again their hopes will rest with their talisman Romelu Lukaku, he may be unwilling to sign a new contract and with that a move away from Goodison Park in the Summer looks very much a possibility. but that does not mean he is any less lethal in front of goal right now. A late equaliser for Belgium last weekend can go along side a late double in Everton’s comprehensive win over Hull before the break.

That win now takes them on the same points as Arsenal in 6th although they have played two games more. They come into this game on a very rich vein of form, just one defeat in their last 10 matches with the defeat coming at the hands of Tottenham at White Hart Lane, it’s fair to say that was a disappointing trip to North London for Everton. Even though the game finished 3-2, Ronald Koeman’s side did not turn up until the 80th minute or so and the scoreline certainly flattered them.

Koeman will be hoping there is no stage fright this lunchtime as his side look to exact revenge after a dramatic derby defeat when these two sides last met. It took 8 minutes of injury time for Liverpool to finally break their resolve. Daniel Sturridge who seems to be the forgotten man as of late was on hand to be the hero that night in what was a heartbreaking way to lose any game let alone one to your nearest rivals.

Can Everton atone for that defeat though, with Lukaku in their ranks they certainly have a chance but with a now depleted defence that could well play into Liverpool’s hands. The only question mark over the red half of Merseyside is that you never quite know which Liverpool is going to turn up. That said I reckon they will have enough to win this Lunchtime and solidify their hopes of a top four finish. Home win for me.

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