LIVERPOOL WOMEN VS. EVERTON WOMEN

| Sunday, September 25th |
WSL | Anfield
6:45PM BST/1:45PM EST

Because we can’t have nice things, the jubilation of watching Liverpool announce their arrival back into the WSL with a 2-1 victory over the three-time reigning champions, Chelsea, was dampened with the news that star player Leanne Kiernan needed ankle surgery and will be out for months. This comes on top of new signing Shanice van de Sanden continued absence from the team. Both of these losses greatly diminishes what should be a potent Liverpool attack.

Chelsea goalscorer Katie Stengel, as well as Yana Daniels and Melissa Lawley, all experienced players in their own rights, will be charged with the goalscoring responsibilities on Sunday.

But regardless, the Reds keep marching forward. Sunday they’ll be marching to Anfield to take on local rivals Everton for the first time since 2019. The game didn’t end well for Liverpool — though to be fair, what did go well for them that season? They’ll be looking to right some wrongs this time around.

Everton, who finished 10th out of 12 teams last season, lost their first match of the season against West Ham. This defeat means they’re winless in their last nine league games, going back to last season. A match at a packed Anfield would be the ideal stage for Brian Sorensen’s women to begin showing some ambition.

Predicted Liverpool Lineup:

Laws; Flaherty, Fahey, Matthews; Koivisto, Kearns, Holland, Hinds; Lawley, Daniels, Stengel

Aside from the absences of Kiernan and van de Sanden, the good news is that Charlotte Wardlaw will be available for Beard.

Everton are dealing with their own injury issues. Toni Duggan, Clare Wheeler, and Aggie Beever-Jones will all miss out on the trip across town.

What the Managers Had to Say

Matt Beard: “It’s the first fixture that you look for and it’s great that it is at Anfield as well. We’re looking forward to playing there and it’s going to be a tough game because Brian [Sorensen] has done well. We know it’s going to be a tough evening, but we’ve had a good start and a good pre-season. It’s just about concentrating on ourselves.”

Brian Sorensen: “Everybody during the week talks. You can feel that extra concentration. You can also see from the media and everything there’s a high interest [in the derby]. So I’m looking forward to it, playing at Anfield. And hopefully we’ll make a really good game out of it.”

The Officials

Referee: Andrew Kitchen Assistant Ref: Ceri Williams Assistant Ref: Abby Dearden

Fourth Official: Matt Corlett

Kickoff is set for 6:45PM BST/1:45PM EST tomorrow. 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.