We had expected to be picking the bones out of the Merseyside derby this morning, but instead we’re left to wonder when the fixture might be rescheduled.
Everton and Liverpool were due to face off at Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime, but the match was postponed a few hours before kick-off because of the effects of Storm Darragh, with the safety of supporters rightly prioritised.
It leaves the Reds at risk of having their lead at the Premier League summit trimmed to four points today, should either or both of Arsenal and Chelsea win their respective all-London clashes, although Manchester City missed their chance to take full advantage after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace yesterday.
The question that many football fans on Merseyside are now asking is when might the fixture be played, with the Premier League left to search for a suitable date.
When could the Merseyside derby now be played?
A packed December for Liverpool rules out any chance of it being played in the remaining 24 days of 2024, and further dates in the New Year may open up or be ruled out depending on the respective teams’ progress in knockout competitions.
The earliest possible date for which it could be rescheduled is Wednesday 8 January, but only if the Reds are beaten in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals by Southampton this month, as the first leg of the semi-final takes place that week (the return leg is fixed for 4/5 February).
Should those dates not be freed up, the midweeks of 11/12 or 18/19 February could be open if, as expected, Arne Slot’s side bypass the knockout play-off round in the Champions League and go straight into the round of 16, which’ll be held in the first two midweeks of March.
The last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park will need to be rescheduled
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Other dates which might become available are the weekends of 8/9 February, 1/2 March and 29/30 March, which are currently reserved for the FA Cup. With both Merseyside clubs getting favourable third-round draws, the earliest of those weekends is highly unlikely to be open; and if either were to reach the quarter-finals, none of those would be free.
If (as in 2021/22) Liverpool were to go the distance in every knockout competition, that’d leave only the midweeks of 22/23 April, 13/14 and 20/21 May free, and even those would be taken up by springtime Premier League games needing to be moved.
Merseyside football fans awaiting new derby date
The earlier that the rescheduled Merseyside derby is played, the better, as the Reds wouldn’t be too keen on a fixture pile-up in the concluding weeks of the season.
With all due respect to Southampton, who are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, Slot’s team should maintain their defence of the Carabao Cup into at least the semi-final stage, so the one potentially available January date seems more unlikely than likely to open up.
Realistically, we may be looking at one of the aforementioned midweeks in February, unless Liverpool’s Champions League form plummets in their next three games and drops them out of the top eight. Thankfully that’s a highly improbable scenario, so that month may be the best bet for the short trip to Goodison Park.
Fans of Merseyside’s two biggest clubs will be eagerly awaiting news of a refixture date for what (barring a later FA Cup pairing) will be the last-ever derby at Everton’s current home.