Goodison Park forms the backdrop for the 245th edition of the Merseyside derby, with Everton gearing up for Saturday’s mammoth Premier League clash against Liverpool.
The eagerly anticipated contest will be the final derby hosted at Goodison before the Toffees move to their new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock next season.
Everton will want to put on a show in front of their raucous home crowd, but the odds are firmly stacked against them ahead of the high-stakes contest.
Nevertheless, the game promises to be a poignant occasion and an unmissable event, which is why Seatsnet.com are offering Everton tickets at the best rates on the market.
Match preview
The final home derby against Liverpool at Goodison Park, the iconic “Grand Old Lady,” is set to be a poignant occasion for Everton fans.
Alongside their last home game of the season against Southampton in May, no fixtures will carry as much emotion as this historic clash.
For many supporters, it’s a farewell to an era steeped in memories, rivalries, and the electric atmosphere that only Goodison can provide.
Everton approach this weekend with renewed optimism after snapping a dismal run of five games without a win by claiming a commanding 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek.
The win also ended an awful run of four games without finding the back of the net, which was a much-needed boost for manager Sean Dyche, who has come under intense scrutiny this season.
The solitary win might not have been enough to steady the previously sinking ship, but at least it took the Toffees up to fifth place in the Premier League table, five points clear of the relegation zone.
Considering the baptism of fire awaiting them on the horizon, claiming the huge win against Wolves was crucial.
After facing Liverpool, Everton’s schedule intensifies with trips to Arsenal and Manchester City sandwiching a home clash with Chelsea just before Christmas.
Building a healthy buffer between themselves and the bottom three was absolutely crucial, and Dyche will now aim to capitalise on the momentum to win back-to-back league games for the first time since April.
Interestingly, that run included a rare derby win against Liverpool at Goodison. However, their derby form suggests pulling off the feat again will be far from a cakewalk.
Everton have struggled against their city rivals, failing to win consecutive derbies since the 1984/85 season, when they were crowned English champions.
Their record against league leaders in the Premier League era has also been a massive disappointment, claiming just four wins from 47 Premier League games.
The Toffees absolutely dread coming up against their Merseyside rivals, having won just six of their 54 meetings since the start of the decade, making Liverpool strong favourites for Saturday’s contest.
Meanwhile, Arne Slot will get his first taste of the Merseyside derby.
He will hope to kick-start another winning streak after Everton ended Liverpool’s previous 12-match unbeaten run at Goodison under Jurgen Klopp back in April.
However, ahead of Slot’s derby debut, he may not have to do much to improve on Klopp’s record away to the Blues.
Klopp’s record at Goodison was less than ideal.
He marked his derby debut at Goodison with a win but only managed just one more victory in the subsequent seven visits.
Liverpool’s 12:30 pm Saturday kick-offs are often debated, but the stats suggest they thrive in this slot.
They’re unbeaten in eight such fixtures (W6, D2), so the timing could play to their advantage as they prepare for another pivotal clash.
A victory in a high-stakes encounter would pile pressure on their Premier League rivals, but any slip-up would embolden the chasing pack.
That was the case midweek when Liverpool dropped two points in a dramatic 3-3 draw against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
A sublime performance from Mohamed Salah, bagging a brace and an assist, wasn’t enough for Liverpool to emerge from Tyneside with maximum points.
A late error from Caoimhin Kelleher allowed Fabian Schar to snatch a draw in stoppage time.
That was just the third time in 21 games under Slot that Liverpool have failed to win, and after Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all won on the same night, the gap has closed slightly.
There were some other warning signs from the game, with defensive frailties starting to creep in.
Despite boasting the league’s best defensive record, Wednesday’s trip to St James’ Park saw them concede at least two goals in an away game for the fourth fixture in succession.
Key Stats
Everton ended a frustrating four-game goal drought with a commanding 4-0 victory over Wolves on Wednesday night at Goodison Park, marking their first Premier League win in six matches.
The breakthrough included a long-awaited first-half league goal at home this season, while the Toffees also scored more goals in one match than in their previous seven league outings combined.
This was the first time in over four years that Everton netted four goals in a top-flight home game.
Dyche’s troops have struggled against stronger opposition, managing just four wins in 47 league matches against teams atop the table – a record only surpassed by Spurs’ 34 defeats.
Nevertheless, Everton have shown defensive improvement, conceding just eight goals across the last ten matchdays, the lowest in the league.
Their three wins this season have come against the current bottom three teams. A second Merseyside derby win under Dyche would eclipse the combined efforts of the club’s previous seven managers.
Meanwhile, for the first time this season, Liverpool have conceded three goals. While it ended their four-match winning streak, the draw was enough for the Reds to extend their Premier League unbeaten run to ten games.
Liverpool have collected 17 points from their opening seven games on the road, their second-highest tally after amassing 19 in 2019/20 when they went on to win the title.
If they claim another win this weekend, Slot will become the first Liverpool manager since Kenny Dalglish in 1985 to win his Merseyside derby debut at Goodison.
Team News
Armando Broja impressed in his late cameo against Wolves and could be named in the starting line up, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto struggling to deliver the goods.
Michael Keane will need to be assessed after missing the Wolves game, but Dyche will be without Timothy Iroegbunam, James Garner, Dele and Youssef Chermiti due to injuries.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will be without anchorman Alexis Mac Allister due to suspension, while Ibrahima Konate, Kostas Tsimikas, and Conor Bradley are certain absentees through injuries.
Alisson, Diogo Jota, and Federico Chiesa are working to build up their fitness levels, so they’ll likely be watching the game from the stands.
Everton potential starting line-up:
(4-5-1): Jordan Pickford; Ashley Young, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitaly Mykolenko; Iliman Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye, Orel Mangala, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dwight McNeil; Armando Broja.
Liverpool potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Caoimhin Kelleher; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai; Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.
