21 October 2023 , 01:00
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Liverpool legend John Aldridge believes his former side can "exploit" Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby, branding the Everton goalkeeper a "loose cannon".
Liverpool will be desperate to get back to winning ways when they host the Toffees at Anfield, having failed to win their last two Premier League games. They were controversially beaten by Tottenham in September after a VAR blunder led to a Luis Diaz goal being wrongly ruled out for offside, while they drew 2-2 with Brighton before the international break.
Everton, meanwhile, have won three of their last four games in all competitions but Aldridge insists Liverpool are "far better" than Sean Dyche's men. "In terms of what to expect from Everton, Calvert-Lewin can be a danger on the day and Everton have a couple of good midfield players who break well and are good at getting in the box," he said in his column for the Liverpool Echo.
"With all due respect, we shouldn't be worrying about Everton. We are far better than them at the moment. They will fight like hell, but we just have to make sure we defend properly."
Aldridge also suggested Liverpool should look to target Pickford, highlighting the error he made in the 2018 derby which allowed Divock Origi to score a late winner. "With Richarlison no longer at Everton, I am sure we can rely on Jordan Pickford to try and cause a stir on the pitch during Saturday's match," he added.
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"If I was playing, I would be standing on his toes from corners trying to provoke a reaction. He is a good keeper, but a loose cannon. It's something Liverpool could look to exploit. We've seen him involved in altercations on the pitch and you wouldn't at all be surprised to see it happen again.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (Getty Images)"Pickford is one who could thwart us on the day if he has a stormer, as he can do, and could do some real damage. But then you look at the famous Origi goal he let in, that's what he does sometimes."
Speaking ahead of the derby, Everton boss Dyche said: "Well their record is very strong, they're a very good outfit, we know that. Our record needs changing there, we know that. It's been a long time with not many wins.
"But it's a tough place to go and I don't think we'll be listening to the noise around it, we're trying not to anyway, but there is a lot of noise, rightly so. It's a big game but it's more about our focus to get through that and concentrate on our performance because generally I think they've been strong but we are taking on a top side."