Everton aim to delay Liverpool’s title celebrations in intriguing Derby clash

Everton will be looking to spring a huge surprise and delay Liverpool’s march towards the Premier League when the two sides meet in the Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park on Sunday evening.

The Toffees sit 12th in the table but do have a slim chance of making a late surge towards the Europa League places if they can string a few wins together in their remaining matches.

Liverpool on the other hand are just two wins away from claiming their first ever Premier League title and their first top flight victory for 30 years.

Before the league was suspended, Everton had won two of their last five matches but their most recent game ended in 4-0 thrashing away at Chelsea. They will be keen to erase these memories with a positive result and performance when they return to action this weekend.

The lockdown arrived just as Liverpool’s seemingly perfect season hit a bump in the road. Three of their last four matches saw them lose for the first time this season in the league, get knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea and suffer a surprise Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid and exit the competition at the round of 16 stage.

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The hosts are missing a string of key players through injury for the foreseeable future including Yerry Mina, Theo Walcott, Andre Gomes and Fabian Delph.

Liverpool meanwhile, are definitely without long term absentees Xherdan Shaqiri and Nathaniel Clyne due to calf and knee injuries respectively but have no new injury concerns following the break.

Home manager (Carlo Ancelotti)

“I think we have to play a perfect game, showing character and sacrifice and personality. It will be difficult but we have to consider it as a great opportunity to show our quality and come back to the Premier League with a good performance… to try to win and to do our best. For us it is important to gain points and improve our position in the table.”

Away manager (Jurgen Klopp)

“I expect us to be in a good shape but we will see how good it is. I expect, like I always do, Everton to be in a very good shape and so it will be difficult for us – and rightly so, it’s Premier League. We didn’t play for a while, so we should try to sort the problems in this game, we should give them some as well and then we will see.”

Head-to-Head

Everton haven’t won a Derby match since October 2010; which was also played at Goodison Park. On that day, Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta were on target to give then manager David Moyes’ side the victory. Since then Everton’s record is miserable, they have managed nine draws and 11 defeats in all of their competitive meetings with their neighbours. They will be hoping they can put that winless run behind them in Sunday’s latest clash of these great rivals.