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London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | This round of the Premier League sees rivalry Merseyside clubs Everton and Liverpool meet at Goodison Park on the afternoon of Saturday 17 October 2020.
Everton come into this clash in almost unprecedented form, with a 4-2 win over Brighton seeing them sit atop the Premier League table with a 100 percent record and a run of seven successive wins across all competitions since the start of the season.
“Yeah, it will be difficult, it is a fantastic test against Liverpool,” said Carlo Ancelotti of the Merseyside derby. “We are honoured to play against them at the top of the table. Both teams are at the top of the table, it will be a derby, a fantastic game, exciting. I hope the international break doesn’t give us more problems and we try to recover the players that are injured in this period and to do our best for the game.”
Liverpool, meanwhile, suffered a shock 7-2 loss at Aston Villa before the international break, but are nonetheless just three points off the top and could leapfrog Everton on goal difference if they claim a handsome win.
“Pretty much everybody made massive mistakes around the goals, and the first one was obviously Adrian. That was a big mistake, but how we reacted was an even bigger mistake,” said managerJurgen Klopp.” In different challenges, Aston Villa definitely wanted it more than us. That’s something I saw and don’t like. A game like tonight should not happen, 100 percent.”
Key players
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – The striker’s form early in the season – six Premier League goals in just four games – saw him earn his first England call-up. He’ll hope to continue hitting the back of the net and power Everton to a first win over Liverpool in a decade.
Virgil van Dijk – After shipping seven goals in their last match, the big Dutch defender’s pride will be hurting and one can expect a powerful performance from him as Liverpool look to bounce back in emphatic style and reassert their champions’ mentality.
Head-to-head stats
In head-to-head terms, Everton and Liverpool have met in 287 matches across all competitions dating back to their first clash in 1894. The Reds have claimed 121 wins compared to 82 for the Toffees, while 84 games have been drawn.
The date of this Premier League clash actually falls on the 10-year anniversary of Everton’s last win in the rivalry: a 2-0 home triumph on 17 October 2010. A decade and 22 matches across all competitions have passed since then, with the blue half of Merseyside desperate to end the drought.
Battles to watch
Lucas Digne v Mohamed Salah – The French left-back will have his hands full in trying to down Liverpool’s prolific goal scorer, whose pace and intelligent movement inevitably put him into space. Salah will look to keep up his net-busting form so far in 2020-21.
Carlo Ancelotti v Jurgen Klopp – The battle of tactical wits between two of Europe’s top managers will be a fascinating aspect of this match. Can Ancelotti find a way to overcome Liverpool’s press, and how will Klopp prepare his team for the versatility and mobility of Everton’s midfield?
Allan v Georginio Wijnaldum – Brazilian midfielder Allan has been one of the season’s top transfers so far, with his composure and intelligence both on and off the ball allowing Everton to be supremely balanced, while ‘Gini’ Wijnaldum will be looking to find pockets and space and undermine the Toffees’ defensive stability.
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SOURCE: DSTV
