Text here to move the logos across. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Hello and welcome to the official match thread for Sunday’s Barclays Premier League encounter between Everton & Liverpool. The game is scheduled to be played on the 28th October 2012 with a kick-off time of 1.30PM. The game is to be shown on Sky Sports One & talkSPORT have the radio rights to the game. Preview. 9 weeks into the new Premier League season and the first Merseyside derby of the season is upon us. Everton vs Liverpool. A game stepped in history. These two sides have met 218 times since the 1894/1895 season and there have been some great games for fans of both sides to enjoy. We’ve had high-scoring games, tight games, an F.A Cup final, F.A Cup semi-finals, last-minute winners & a fair few sending-offs. Today sees the 219th Merseyside derby taking place. It will be David Moyes’ 24th derby and the first Merseyside derby for the Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. In these games, Liverpool normally find themselves as favourites. The red of Merseyside have the better record in ‘The derby’ with 88 wins compared to Everton’s 66. Liverpool also have the better Premier League record with 18 wins compared to Everton’s 9. They also completed the league double over the Toffees with a 2-0 win at Goodison Park & a 3-0 win at Anfield. Liverpool also beat Everton 2-1 in the F.A Cup semi-final with an 87th minute winner from the now West Ham United striker Andy Carroll. Despite all of this, one well-known bookmaker has Everton at 17/10 with the draw at 19/10 & a Liverpool win also at 19/10. That makes Everton slight favourites for today’s game. If you at the table, you can see why. Everton currently sit 5th in the Premier League table with 15 points from 8 games. Almost 2 points per game and they are impressive statistics. Even more impressive when you consider than Everton had become notorious for being slow starters! Just the one defeat so far this season and some impressive victories over Manchester United & a Swansea City side with a previously unbeaten home record. This early-season form has seen Everton sit level on points with Arsenal in fourth and six points ahead of local rivals Liverpool. Keeping the players Moyes had was critical in the summer transfer window just gone and he kept many of the big names. Leighton Baines, Marouane Fellaini & Nikica Jelavic were all retained and these players have been crucial to Everton’s good recent form and will be crucial for Everton in today’s game. Baines has been a consistent performer for Everton since joining them in July 2007 and will be a big attacking threat coming from left-back. His link-up play with Steven Pienaar on the left-hand side of midfield has been important for Everton this season but with Pienaar suspended after a debatable sending-off against Q.P.R in Everton’s last game, that won’t be happening. This is a blow for Everton on that side of the pitch. Fellaini has been a massive player for Everton in recent seasons and if the big-haired Belgian plays on Sunday, his performance will be vital to Everton’s chances. The midfielder has been in excellent form so far this season with pundits & fans praising his performance in Everton’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season. Fellaini has played in a few positions for Everton but most recently, he has played as a second striker just in behind Nikica Jelavic. This seems to have worked with Jelavic on 4 league goals so far this season and Fellaini on 3. If Moyes decides to use this, that partnership will be crucial. Fellaini could use his aerial presence & height to drag the Liverpool defenders out of position and that could give Jelavic the space to exploit and get the chances which he is rather good at finishing. Despite Liverpool not being considered favourites for this game with a well-known bookmaker, they will pose a significant threat. As has been already mentioned, Liverpool have the overall upper hand in the Merseyside derby. Liverpool currently have just 9 points from 8 games and sit 13th in the league table. It’s been a stop-start season so far with improvements starting to be seen but a slow start has meant that Liverpool are not in the position they would want to be in. In recent games, things have started to improve. Three clean sheets in a row (Stoke at home, Reading at home and Anzhi at home) and 7 points from a possible 9 in the league. That’s the sort of form Rodgers will be looking to maintain and the three clean sheets will give the defence an big boost going into today’s derby. This recent upturn in defensive form has also come without Liverpool’s first choice goalkeeper. Pepe Reina has missed Liverpool’s last two games with a hamstring injury which has seen Australian international Brad Jones take the position between the sticks. Jones has performed well in Liverpool’s previous two games and could give Rodgers a selection dilemma in the goalkeeping position if Reina returns to fitness. A selection dilemma like that is always a good thing... A number of the Liverpool players are in line for their first appearance against Everton later today. A number of factors has meant that Liverpool’s younger players have seen some significant game time with Andre Wisdom, Raheem Sterling & Suso being the main beneficiaries of this policy. These players have performed well since entering the first team and will be crucial to Liverpool’s potential success tomorrow. Everton’s left-hand side has already been mentioned in this preview and Andre Wisdom would seem likely to continue at right-back for Liverpool. He will need to be on top form to stop that threat for Everton’s left and what happens on that side could be a crucial factor in deciding the outcome of the game. Liverpool’s front three later today could contain Raheem Sterling and Suso. Sterling has cemented his first-team slot since starting against Manchester City in August and has produced some good performances on the left-hand side. With Suso potentially on the other side (Oussama Assaidi or Stewart Downing could play there after their performances/goal in the Anzhi game) the attacking threat to accompany Luis Suarez could be relatively inexperienced. Despite that relative inexperience, it will pose a significant threat for the Everton backline. So, we’ve got another potentially exciting Merseyside derby to look forward to! Will it live up to the hype? Can Everton continue their good form by beating Liverpool? Or can Liverpool continue their recent revival and pick up the three points in Brendan Rodger’s first Merseyside derby? You’ll find out this, and more, on the official match thread on the Not606 Liverpool board! Injury/Suspension News. Everton. Darren Gibson: Thigh Injury. Tony Hibbert: Calf Injury. Marouane Fellaini: Knee Injury.* NOTE: Steven Pienaar is suspended for this game after being sent off against Queens Park Rangers. Liverpool. Lucas Leiva: Thigh Injury. Martin Kelly: ACL Knee Injury. Fabio Borini: Foot Injury. Pepe Reina: Hamstring Injury.* *Indicates player will have a late fitness test and could be available for tomorrow’s game. Everton 2 - 2 Liverpool Goalscorers: Liverpool... Leighton Baines: 14th minute. (Own Goal) Liverpool... Luis Suarez: 20th minute. Everton... Leon Osman: 22nd minute. Everton... Steven Naismith: 35th minute. Everton: Howard - Coleman Jagielka Distin Baines - Oviedo Osman Neville Gueye - Fellaini - Jelavic SUBS: Mucha Hibbert Heitinga Hitzlsperger Mirallas Naismith Vellios - Everton Substitution: Kevin Mirallas comes off to be replaced by Magaye Gueye. (45th minute) Everton Substitution: Steven Naismith comes off to be replaced by Bryan Oviedo. (85th minute) - Liverpool: Jones - Skrtel Coates Agger - Henderson Gerrard Allen Shelvey Enrique - Sterling Suarez SUBS: Reina Wisdom Carragher Suso Sahin Downing Assaidi - Liverpool Substitution: Nuri Sahin comes off to be replaced by Sebastian Coates. (45th minute) Liverpool Substitution: Suso comes off to be replaced by Jonjo Shelvey. (45th minute) Liverpool Substitution: Andre Wisdom comes off to be replaced by Jordan Henderson. (70th minute) - YNWA.
Jesus Christ Chris! What are you facking playing at!! Everton win, 2 - 1. You are doomed...that is all
Excellent work us usual Chris. I am a bit concerned by the weather this morning as we have had a lot of rain overnight and if it keeps up like this there could be problems.
Yep still chucking it down in Liverpool some kids footy off already but would be shocked if the derby was under threat. May well be good for our passing game?!
Great thread as usual, Chris. I'm feeling a bit negative today. I hope I'm wrong but I see a draw at best here today. May Odin's raven see that doesn't happen! If we do win, however, I'm going to be in a great mood for the remainder of today and maybe tomorrow, too. So, I'm fervently wishing that my negative prognostications are hokum! Here's to a good game where, hopefully, there's no sending-offs or controversial sticking points (yeah, right!).
Helllloooooooo fellow Reds! 2-0 to us with Gerrard & Suarez scoring. Oh I'm going to drink copious amounts of beer today, make me some hotwings with my special recipe sauce, watch us beat the Blues and then watch as as the united/Chelsea match descends into a pitch brawl. I can dream lol!
Morning C! Yes. It's Derby day, always love this one & to be fair, they're better when the teams are fairly even: just wish it was a battle for 1 & 2 like the old days lol.
Yeah, it's not quite the same, but always compelling. I'm off playing darts for the local today and our match starts at 1.30pm. I'm just hoping the pokey, little pub we're going to has the game on or I'll have to keep running round to the larger pub round the corner to keep tabs on the match!
Always my least favourite game of the year. I'm as tense before the derby as a menopausal Syrian hyena. As always I'd be happy to take a draw from Woodison.
Think Big Billy! We're due that "everything clicks and we spit roast a team" kind of game. What better day than today!
I'm usually fair optimistic for our derby games, Billy. This time I'm not feeling optimistic at all, despite our recent victories and clean sheets. Hope I'm wrong.
Wasn't that the Norwich game? I'd take a scrappy 1-0 from any derby. Thanks for calling me Big Billy though DF. Love you too
Yeah, big day for BR. Let's hope he treats the game with his usual studious stoicism...and then headbutts Moysey! ** **P.S. Hypothetical. Not condoning real violence.
