They say a Madrid Derby lasts a week and families can be split down the middle when both sides of Manchester face off.
This week, Liverpool and Everton takes centre-stage at a point in time when Arne Slot’s side are looking to move an inch closer to the Premier League title.
The Reds, with Mahon native Caoimhin Kelleher in their ranks, have set the pace since the first few weeks of the season and they went into the March international window with a commanding 12-point cushion.
The Toffees, who last won a league championship in 1985, want to upset the party at the home of their great rivals.
Jake O'Brien of Republic of Ireland in action against Marin Petkov of Bulgaria. Picture: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
Jake O'Brien of Republic of Ireland in action against Marin Petkov of Bulgaria. Picture: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
They already did it at the final-ever derby at Goodison Park by scoring an injury-time equaliser at the death in January, but this is different.
This is at Anfield, the graveyard of Everton’s ambitions in the Premier League era.
David Moyes will also be looking to gain his first victory in the derby at the famous venue, and the coach will go into the game on the back of a six-game unbeaten run that includes that infamous draw with Liverpool and a chaotic encounter with Manchester United at Goodison Park.
One member of the squad eyes will be drawn to on Wednesday night is Youghal’s Jake O’Brien, a player that has become a fan-favourite in blue under the tutelage of Moyes.
BATTLING
The defender is a talking point, for his ability on the ball and the story involving a young centre-back that established himself in the most gruelling league in world football by battling through the darkest of shadows.
O’Brien was supposed to be a squad regular when he signed for Everton from Lyon, just weeks after playing in the Coupe de France final.
That was at the end of a memorable year that included goals that helped the French giants stay up and eventually qualify for the Europa League after two years in the continental wilderness.
The Cork City academy graduate also boasted spells with RWD Molenbeek, where he won promotion to the Belgian top flight, and Swindon Town in the lower leagues of England.
All of this combined over one summer to create a storm of speculation, linking O’Brien with clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, before Everton emerged as the destination at the turn of the season. And that’s where things went quiet.
Sean Dyche kept O’Brien in the cold, only using the defender as a substitute and as a starter in EFL Cup games with Doncaster Rovers and Southampton.
Lyon's Irish defender Jake O'Brien celebrates after scoring against Toulouse.
Lyon's Irish defender Jake O'Brien celebrates after scoring against Toulouse.
All the while, Everton drifted closer and closer to the bottom three at the turn of the year.
Then the coach was sacked and Moyes was installed, and immediately things began to change for the Cork City academy graduate.
Now O’Brien is regarded as the lynch-pin in an Everton back-line that was 17 points clear of the bottom three in the middle of March.
How it got to this point is simple. The centre-back, who has shifted into an inverted right-back position, spent extra hours on the training pitch with assistant coach Leighton Baines.
CHANCE
This offered a more detailed chance to study the system, and when a chance came O’Brien snatched it.
The defender admitted to this following victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion in January, a period marked as a turning point in Everton’s season.
"I think I just had to be patient, wait for my chance and gladly the gaffer gave me a chance to come into the side and play a new role," he said. "I think there were a lot of question marks over my head over what kind of player I was,” O’Brien added.
“It was frustrating that I wasn't able to show what kind of player I was but gladly now I can come to the side and start to show bits of my game."
Instead of a dramatic moment that called for interval, all it took was application and patience.
Jake O'Brien of Cork City in action against Jack Byrne of Shamrock Rovers. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Jake O'Brien of Cork City in action against Jack Byrne of Shamrock Rovers. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Now O’Brien is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League, going into one of the biggest games of his career.