Everton are set to welcome Liverpool to Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, and the referee has now been announced.
Sean Dyche‘s men face a tough midweek challenge against Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to the Merseyside derby, which could see Everton drop into the bottom three.
It appears as if Dyche is retaining the trust of Farhad Moshiri as he lives out his final weeks as Everton owner, with the Friedkin Group’s takeover almost complete.
The Merseyside derby is always a huge spectacle and fans won’t expect anything less than a win, despite the positions of the two sides on show.
Interestingly, the Premier League have made what some may see as a controversial referee announcement ahead of the Liverpool clash.
Michael Oliver announced as Everton vs Liverpool referee
Michael Oliver is arguably seen as one of the best referees in the Premier League, but he doesn’t have a great history in this encounter.
He admitted it was a mistake not to send Jordan Pickford off for his challenge on Virgil van Dijk back in 2020, which ended up in a long-term injury for the Dutchman.
In 2020, he also sent Richarlison off for a challenge on Thiago.
Referee Michael Oliver shows a red card to Richarlison of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park on...
Photo by Peter Byrne – Pool/Getty Images
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The Premier League made their referee announcement, with Michael Oliver taking charge.
His assistants will be Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, whilst the fourth official is Tony Harrington. on VAR is Chris Kavanagh, with Eddie Smart as his assistant.
Michael Oliver’s Merseyside derby record
Michael Oliver has refereed three Merseyside derby clashes and all three of them have been draws.
His record involving either side individually is slightly different, with Everton picking up 20 wins, 20 draws and 19 losses, whilst Liverpool have won 30 drawn 19 and lost 14.
The Merseyside derby isn’t the only time Oliver has found himself making a mistake, as he ignored Gabriel Jesus’ blatant handball last season to award Arsenal a late winner.
So, the Merseyside derby looks as if it will provide plenty of controversy as always, let’s just hope we come out on the right side of it with a repeat of last season.
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