Everton are back in action in the Premier League this evening as they prepare to welcome city rivals Liverpool to Goodison Park for the final time.
The Toffees lost 2-0 to Bournemouth at Goodison Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday and that, along with Liverpool’s shock defeat to Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle at Pride Park, means that this will be the last Merseyside derby at the stadium.
They are, of course, set to abandon their long-time home to move to a new stadium for the 2025/26 campaign and they will be hoping for a memorable derby day to bid farewell to the hallowed turf.
In terms of the league table, a win is not the be-all-end-all for the Toffees, who are already nine points clear of the relegation zone and slowly climbing closer to midtable instead of being in a relegation scrap.
For Everton supporters, however, this is about more than points on the board and any seasonal objectives, it is about getting one over their rivals and disrupting their charge for the title.
Everton's last win over Liverpool
You do not have to go back very far to find the last time Liverpool walked away disappointed after a clash with their rivals, as Sean Dyche’s side secured a fantastic win at Goodison Park in April of last year.
Jurgen Klopp’s team came to the other side of Merseyside with a chance to move level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
As they are this season, Liverpool were chasing a title and a win over Everton would have put them in a fantastic position to attack the final month of the campaign.
As you can see in the highlights above, however, the Toffees dented their chances of giving Klopp a big send-off with a phenomenal 2-0 win under the lights at Goodison.
Jarrad Branthwaite handed the hosts the lead in the first half when Alexis Mac Alisster scuffed his attempted clearance in the box straight to the England international.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin made sure of the three points in the second half when he brilliantly headed Dwight McNeil’s corner past Alisson to make it 2-0 on the night.
Unfortunately, though, the English centre-forward is one of the players who will not be available for David Moyes to select in his first Merseyside derby since returning for a second spell at the club.
The latest Everton team news
The former Sheffield United attacker, who is reportedly valued at £25m by Everton, will remain on the sidelines after he suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Brighton last month.
Youssef Chermiti, who arrived from Sporting for £15m in the summer of 2023, is currently out with a hamstring injury, after initially missing matches with a foot injury earlier this season, and will also be watching on from the sidelines.
This means that Everton will be without their £40m-rated attacking duo for this clash, whilst Chelsea loanee Armando Broja is also unavailable, and that means that Beto is the only senior, recognised, centre-forward option for Moyes.
Dwight McNeil
Knee
Seamus Coleman
Muscle
Youssef Chermiti
Hamstring
Armando Broja
Ankle
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Hamstring
Orel Mangala
Knee
As you can see in the table above, the Toffees manager is set to be without several important first-team players for this clash with Liverpool tonight, but he is also set for a boost.
Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Ukraine international Vitalii Mykolenko is due to be available after missing out on the defeat to Bournemouth with a calf issue.
Everton's predicted line-up
The Scottish boss could make a few changes to the starting line-up that was selected for the 2-0 defeat to the Cherries at Goodison Park last time out in the FA Cup.
England international Jordan Pickford should retain his position in the XI, as he has been the first-choice throughout the season in the Premier League, but the defence in front of him could look slightly different.
Everton have lined up with a 4-2-3-1 formation in all of Moyes’ matches so far but Liverpool arrive as the top scorers in the division, with 56 goals in 23 games, and the manager could be tempted to switch to a 5-2-2-1 formation to keep the likes of Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo at bay.
This could mean that winger Jesper Lindstrom could be dropped from the team to make way for Michael Keane, who has made 50 clearances in ten league games this season, to join James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite at centre-back, with Jake O’Brien remaining at right-back.
Appearances (starts)
10 (9)
Goals
2
Clearances
50
Error led to shot/goal
0
Ground duel success rate
42%
Aerial duel success rate
58%
On the left side, Mykolenko’s return to fitness should see Young dropped from the XI. The Ukraine international is a naturally left-footed player who would offer more balance on that side, rather than having Young trying to push forward on his weak foot.
This would create a back five that would be tasked with shutting out the best attack in the league and provide Pickford with a bit more protection than he had from the back four in the loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, by having another body in the way to block shots and make clearances.
As you can see in the XI above, the third change to the starting line-up could be the introduction of Carlos Alcaraz for his full debut in an Everton shirt.
The 22-year-old star, who joined on loan from Flamengo in January, created two chances, hit the post, and completed 93% of his attempted passes in just 25 minutes off the bench last time out, and could be more suited to playing as one of two attacking midfielders behind Beto than Abdoulaye Doucoure is.
Everton’s French midfielder has contributed one goal and zero assists in 20 starts in the Premier League and could be kept in reserve to use his energy and running power off the bench if they need to see out a result in the second half.
Everton v Liverpool: Team news, where to watch, referee & VAR
It is the last meeting between the two sides at Goodison Park.
ByCharlie SmithFeb 12, 2025