Everton and Liverpool will meet in a historic match at Goodison Park on Thursday (13/2/2025) early morning, marking the last Merseyside derby at the iconic stadium in the Premier League.
The match was originally scheduled for December 2024 but was postponed due to Storm Darragh. Now, the postponed match comes at a crucial time for both teams. Everton, who are back under the management of David Moyes, are in impressive form with three consecutive wins that have lifted them away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Liverpool, under new manager Arne Slot, are looking to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Moyes’ impact has been immediate, with wins over Tottenham, Brighton and Leicester, scoring eight goals in total. Despite being knocked out of the FA Cup by Bournemouth, Everton could make history by winning back-to-back derbies for the first time in 40 years, following their victory over Liverpool at Goodison last season.
However, history favours Liverpool, who have recorded 99 league wins over Everton. If they win this game, they will become only the fifth club in Premier League history to record 100 wins over a single opponent.
Slot, who will be making his first Merseyside derby appearance, is expected to field a full-strength side after making heavy rotations in the shock FA Cup defeat to Plymouth Argyle. Key players Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk are all set to return to the starting line-up , while Trent Alexander-Arnold is a certain absentee.
In Everton, injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Dwight McNeil mean Beto is likely to be the spearhead. Vitalii Mykolenko could also return to the left-back position to replace Ashley Young.
With Everton looking to make history and Liverpool looking to strengthen their position in the title race, this final clash at Goodison Park promises to be a tight affair.
Here are the predicted Everton vs Liverpool line-ups:
Everton XI:
Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Garner, Doucoure, Ndiaye; Beto
Liverpool XI:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
