LIVERPOOL VS. EVERTON

| Monday, February 13th |
Premier League | Anfield
8PM GMT/3PM EST

The top four is probably out of reach for Liverpool with the season past its half way point and Jürgen Klopp’s Reds mired in 10th, 12 points back of the Champions League places and with a slew of others standing in between, but a match against Everton in front of a home crowd at Anfield will hopefully be enough to get the players up for it in a way in which they have rarely appeared to be in a deflating 2022-23 season.

Everton, meanwhile, have troubles of their own given they’re currently in the relegation places. Their challenge for survival seems achievable, though, following the arrival of new manager Sean Dyche and with the sides they’re chasing in 16th and 17th only a point or two ahead. They can also look to last week’s shock 1-0 upset of league leaders Arsenal in Dyche’s first game in charge as they head into a game against their local rivals who look far less a challenge this season than The Gunners.

Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Henderson, Bajcetic, Keïta; Salah, Nuñez, Gakpo

Liverpool are still dealing with injuries to defenders Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté (though the former has now returned to training) and added midfielder Thiago Alcantara to the list this week while in attack Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota have only begun to be eased back into training—though Jota may be fit enough to make the bench—limiting Jürgen Klopp’s options for the derby.

Perhaps the only question mark as a result is around the holding midfield position, where Fabinho is in dire form but there’s an outside chance the manager could try playing both the veteran Brazilian and Bajcetic rather than one or the other. There’s also a chance that James Milner could get a start, but with a week off before the match and no Thiago it’s likely Naby Keïta goes again to hopefully give the midfield a bit of creativity.

What the Managers Had to Say

Jurgen Klopp: “This is a derby so we need to fight with everything we have but only in a positive way. We have to fight to play football and nothing else. This is a game for passion but it can only ever be used in the right way. Nothing else makes sense.”

Sean Dyche: “We need to give another good performance on the back of one last week. There’s plenty of belief in what we do but it’s important to take action. When the whistle blows you’ve got to take action, and you’ve got to perform.”

The Officials

Referee: Simon Hooper Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Mark Scholes Fourth official: David Coote

Kickoff is set for 8PM GMT/3PM EST on Monday. Stick with The Liverpool Offside team to keep yourself up to date with team news and match buildup, live updates, and post-match reaction. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account and have your say on the action as it happens.