The stage is set for a thrilling Merseyside derby as Everton face off against Liverpool tonight in the Premier League at Goodison Park.
This highly anticipated match marks the final time these two bitter rivals will meet at Goodison Park, Everton’s home stadium since 1892, before they move to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
This Merseyside derby was originally slated for early December but got postponed due to a storm and since then there has been plenty of change on the blue side of Manchester.
Since that postponement, the Friedkin Group completed their takeover of the club after what felt like an eternity of the Toffees’ future hanging on a thread and now Sean Dyche has been sacked with David Moyes securing a return to Goodison Park.
The Scottish manager enjoyed 11 years in his first stint at the club and will now lead Everton to their final season at the place they have called home for over 130 years.
Everton, currently sitting 16th in the Premier League, have been on a solid run of form since David Moyes’ return to the club, having won their last three matches in a row before losing to Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, who are six points clear at the top of the table, will be looking to bounce back from their surprising FA Cup loss to Championship side Plymouth Argyle.
What has Arne Slot said?
“I think it’s an extra reason why the atmosphere will probably be even better than all the occasions before. I haven’t been to one but people tell me at Goodison Park, as at Anfield, it’s always a fantastic atmosphere.”
”Home supporters are there to support their team and the away fans are mostly loud as well.”
”It’s probably going to be a fantastic atmosphere and that’s never easy to play against because every single time they cross the halfway line, or they get a corner kick, or whatever happens, the fans will cheer for that.”
”Then you have to be mentally really strong as an away team to resist all that, the complete atmosphere, and you still have to be focused on what you have to do; defending the corner kick, defending the set-piece.”
”When you have the ball, be as calm as you can in this fantastic atmosphere. But it’s not the first time for these players that they are playing in atmospheres like this.”
”I hope they can focus on what they have to do, but it’s not only tactical, you also have to stand up to those emotions because I’ve noticed also in the Plymouth game that the intensity of the tackles and how aggressive they were, that was a quality of their players but it was definitely also because of the emotions in the stadium, so we have to be up for that.”
“I’ve seen the game of last season, for example, I think we were quite ready because after 10 minutes the referee blew his whistle 11 times and 10 times in favour of Everton! The Liverpool players were ready to compete, but every time they touched them it was a freekick.”
”I assume our players are ready for another battle tomorrow for the simple reason that they have been ready for the whole season and many of them are experienced for this tie.”
What has David Moyes said?
“I’ve been involved in some of these Merseyside derbies when it was Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard and it was a case of who is going to kick who first,” he said at his press conference.
“I’ve got big memories from that. I don’t think the games now are played in such a fashion. They are refereed differently.
“I think the players are much more aware of the way refereeing is now and what they have to do.
It’s part of why you’re building the game up. You want it to be emotional and explosive. That’s all part of derby games. That’s what you want when you go and watch as a supporter.
“You want people being competitive and you want it to matter. We have to do that. We have to be aggressive and difficult to play against, and show the qualities we can at the right moments.”
He added: “These have always been difficult games over my years. Liverpool have always been a tough opponent, but at Goodison it always felt a lot easier because we had the support behind us and we had a fantastic crowd. I think this game will be no different.
“We want to put on a great spectacle at Goodison and hopefully a good game.”
In terms of team news, Everton will be without several key players, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja, and Youssef Chermiti, while Liverpool’s Joe Gomez will miss out due to a hamstring injury.
However, Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to return for Liverpool after missing their last two games through injury.
