Everton v Liverpool

Goodison Park is the venue for the 231st Merseyside derby as struggling Everton welcome a Liverpool side with their tails up.

Both sides have had to face Pep Guardiola’s runaway leaders in the last week, but fortunes were poles apart for the Mersey clubs.

The Blues were tormented by Manchester City, Sam Allardyce received a footballing lesson from his Spanish counterpart in the away dugout.

Being 3-0 at half time prompted a mass Goodison exodus and Allardyce’s ‘won the second half’ comment will hardly convert his critics.

On the other hand, Liverpool crushed City 3-0 in the Champions League quarter final first leg.

Jurgen Klopp’s men made it look easy against the champions elect. The Reds showed once more, just like in January’s clash, that this all-conquering City side is beatable.

But as the old saying goes, the form book goes out the window come derby day.

Allegedly.

Everton haven’t beaten their neighbours in eight agonisingly long years since goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta secures a 2-0 triumph in October 2010.

Since then, it’s been a downward spiral, 16 games have passed, eight draws and eight Liverpool wins. Grim.

Wayne Rooney’s penalty in December ended Klopp’s hot streak of derby wins, but just a month later in the FA Cup, a Virgil van Dijk header at the death broke Everton hearts once more.

The visitors sit third in the division, a win at Goodison, granted Manchester United lose against City, would see the Reds move into second.

On the other hand, Everton are ninth and could move level on points with Leicester in eighth if results go in the home side’s favour.

One to watch 

If he is selected, it is hard to look past Mohamed Salah as the dangerman.

The Egyptian winger has set the league alight in his debut season at Anfield. He is the Premier League’s top scorer with 29 strikes and he has 38 in all competitions in just 42 appearances.

His pace, movement and trickery on the ball is enough to frighten the life out of any defender and his goal in the reverse fixture showed just that.

Team news 

It’s unclear whether Liverpool will rest key players ahead of their CL second leg clash at the Etihad on Tuesday night.

Salah was taken off as a precaution during the Champions League match against City but it is not clear whether he will feature against the Blues on Saturday. Emre Can is definitely out.

Idrissa Gueye is still a doubt after missing out on last weekend’s 3-1 loss, Ashley Williams has served his three-match ban but the Blues are still without Gylfi Sigurdsson, Eliaquim Mangala, Mason Holgate and James McCarthy.

Man in the middle 

Michael Oliver will have the whistle – in the 35 games he has refereed this campaign he has shown a mammoth 125 yellow cards and six reds.