Liverpool vs Everton
| Wednesday, April 2nd |
Premier League | Anfield
8:00PM BST / 3:00PM ET
It’s been 84 years... or at least like 17 days or something since Liverpool last played a game. That one was a forgettable affair, as a late goal from Federico Chiesa did little to dispel the feeling that Liverpool were well beaten on the day and seemingly fading in their campaign, coming as it did mere days after the Reds were eliminated from the Champions League by PSG in an Anfield penalty shootout.
The Toffees got rid of noted worm cuisine connoisseur Sean Dyche and have gone from strength to strength since replacing him with club legend David Moyes, and have collected 16 points in nine games under the Scot, compared with 18 in 20 when lead by the Gravel Gullet.
They also managed a draw when the sides met at Goodison back in February, and perhaps deserved more, as they battled a tiring Liverpool into submission, coughed up the lead against the run of play, before ultimately fighting back and scoring the equaliser three minutes past the allotted injury time.
Moyes has a few injury issues to contend with, as Orel Mangala, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dwight McNeil and top scorer IIiman Ndiaye all miss out, while Vitali Mykolenko could be a game-day decision. The one-two punch of Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure are set to start, however.
Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Alisson; Quansah, Konaté, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Jota, Salah
For the Reds, who will only play nine games in the next seven weeks, and still have the mathematics of a Premier League title to sort out, there is little expectation of much squad rotation in the immediate future.
Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold both miss out, while Conor Bradley looks likely to be protected from too much playing time too early, and as such, Jarell Quansah seems a probable solution at right-back. Ibrahima Konaté picked up a knock in France’s first game during the international break but is reportedly set to start, while Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson are locks.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch was sent home from the Dutch camp in what appears to be a preventative measure, and the 23-year old should be good to start tomorrow night. He’ll be partnered by Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, while Curtis Jones is ready to impact things from the bench.
Up top, everybody is available, but Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah will likely have the freshest legs, having spent less time than Luis Diaz and Darwin Núñez on airplans in the past two weeks.
What the Managers Said
Arne Slot: “They didn’t lose one football game in the last nine Premier League games, so it would be a surprise if they are going to do something different - and we are top of the league, so it would be strange if we were going to change something as well.”
David Moyes: “I’d be lying if I said that I look forward to going there because it’s been such a hard place to get results. I think every team whenever they go to Anfield they have a tough game on their hands.”
The Officials
Referee: Sam Barrott
Assistant Referees: Lee Betts, Timothy Wood
Fourth Official: Darren Bond
VAR: Paul Tierney, Adam Nunn
Kickoff is set for 8:00PM GMT/3:00PM ET tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.
In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.