13 February 2023 , 12:00
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In the red corner, will Liverpool's hopes of stealing a European spot take another significant step backwards or will Everton fall deeper into the relegation battle from the blue corner?
It feels like one of the most important Merseyside derbies for both ends of Stanley Park as the Toffees visit Anfield on Monday night.
Jurgen Klopp's men are winless in their last four Premier League matches and are in an unthinkable 10th in the table, with their era or fighting for titles with Manchester City seemingly over. Things at Everton are cock-a-hoop all of a sudden after Sean Dyche took over from Frank Lampard and began his reign with victory over table-topping Arsenal - ending a run of two points in eight matches.
So who will be celebrating come 10pm? We have asked Mirror Football's writers and they in turn have consulted their crystal balls to predict Liverpool vs Everton...
Andy Dunn
After Everton’s win over Arsenal and Liverpool’s capitulation against Wolves on the same day, tonight’s Merseyside derby almost instantly took on a different complexion.
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All of a sudden, it does not look so daunting for the blues, but Everton know their history and history tells you it is still going to be a formidable challenge for Sean Dyche and his team. When Carlo Ancelotti masterminded a 2-0 win a couple of years ago, it was Everton’s first win at Anfield since 1999.
Their record in this fixture over the past three decades has been abysmal. But Everton did not just fight for their lives against Arsenal, they played quite well and will hold their own against Jurgen Klopp’s side.
JOIN THE DEBATE: What is your prediction? Have your say here
Sean Dyche and Jurgen Klopp will go head-to-head on Monday night (Rich Linley - CameraSport via Getty Images)What does Klopp have to do to arrest the slide of his men? While individuals try to recapture their best form, perhaps he needs to go more direct and take some pressure off a midfield that is struggling badly.
Liverpool remain favourites for the derby but they also remain unconvincing and that is why Everton can fancy their chances. It’s a hard-fought, low-scoring draw for me. Prediction 1-1.
Darren Lewis
He might, for the time being, have to adopt an unfamiliar line up of three central defenders and two wingbacks. Just to focus on stopping the rot. The 28 goals they've conceded so far this season is more than the whole of last season and as many as third-from-bottom Everton.
Sean Dyche got off to a winning start as Everton manager (Getty Images)Appalled at the idea of a formation change? Don't be. Attack the Reds has most definitely not been the best form of defence so far this season. Their 34 goals scored so far this season is the same as Fulham. Brentford, Brighton and Newcastle - who have not scored more than one Premier League goal a game since Boxing Day - have scored more.
So Klopp needs to batten down the hatches for the foreseeable future. Just until his returnees - Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk, Arthur and Roberto Firmino - rediscover their confidence and the team can rediscover it's form. Defeat tonight is not an option. Prediction 1-1.
Mike Walters
Since 2010, Everton have won only one Merseyside derby in 27 attempts - so how on earth does that make them favourites at Anfield tonight?
Er... because Liverpool are enduring a barren spell where they can't hit a rhino's backside with a banjo?
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By common consent, instead of spending £130 million on Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, Jurgen Klopp would have been wiser to invest the money on revamping his midfield, who have looked short of a gallop since the Champions League final eight months ago.
Klopp cannot, however, have legislated for Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota being long-term injuries, nor Mo Salah (one goal in eight games) going off the boil faster than a cup of tea at the South Pole.
If Liverpool can summon the intensity to rustle the Toffees' sweet wrappers, they still have enough quality to extend their enviable record in the derby.
But a visit from Sean Dyche, who seems to have lifted the mood at Everton in just a fortnight, is a thankless fate - like cobbling together just enough loose change to pay the gas bill, only for another invoice to drop on the doormat.
It will be tight, edgy and frenzied tonight. And like 10 other derbies this century, it could well finish goalless. Prediction 0-0.
Darren Wells
Liverpool are winless in their last four matches in the league (Getty Images)Things have been bleak for Liverpool and the last thing they need is a resurgent Everton turning them over on their own patch in a Merseyside derby.
The Toffees will come to Anfield with renewed belief after beating Arsenal last weekend and it could be a tricky evening ahead.
But playing conservative has never really been Jurgen Klopp’s style and sitting tight will not necessarily guarantee the points Liverpool so desperately need. There’s nothing wrong with dialling it back a tad, however, and being more compact when out of possession.
The bare minimum Klopp needs from his players is for them to match Everton’s work rate - that should be a given but it’s something that has been severely lacking in recent weeks.
That includes and starts with the front three - Salah needs to lead by example and put in a shift, while they also need to minimise mistakes. Keep things simple and get the ball to the players who can cause problems - Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold can make the difference, while Nunez is the obvious threat in attack.
It could be fine margins which decide the game and Liverpool will need to take their chances - but things will be a lot easier if they can prioritise reducing Everton’s opportunities at the other end. Prediction 1-1.
Nathan Ridley
Darwin Nunez has still yet to find his footing in the Premier League (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Liverpool must go for it against Everton, no holds barred. The Reds are in dire need of a confidence-boosting win, with a tricky trip to Newcastle on the horizon and a mouth-watering clash with newly-crowned world champions Real Madrid around the corner.
Jurgen Klopp can't afford to set up conservatively or he'll be playing right into Sean Dyche's hands, as the Toffees know that they're guaranteed to at least have one or two chances to sting their vulnervous rivals with a goal. Liverpool will dominate possession and have a bountiful amount of opportunities to make use of an opening, so keeping faith in Trent-Alexander Arnold and Darwin Nunez - to name but a few of the Reds' underperforming stars - is the way to go.
The home crowd at Anfield will be apprehensive and the away end buoyant, but Liverpool have killed Everton's excitement plenty of times before. Prediction: 2-1.
Samuel Meade
Klopp needs to remember that saying about madness - you cant expect different results if you continue doing the same thing. In difficult times it would be easy to turn to tried and trusted, but we're beyond that now - he needs to shake up his selection.
Dropping the incredibly out of form Mohamed Salah would be a start with both his fullbacks also, rightfully, being questioned. Liverpool can lean on their impressive Merseyside derby record at Anfield, but Everton were able to seize on a bad moment two seasons ago and could do so again.
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The Toffees under Sean Dyche won't come up with anything innovative, but it is whether you can stop them. They'll be compact with a serious aerial threat in the final third, crosses and deliveries into the box are something you can be sure of.
Liverpool are yet to win in 2023 in the league and, whilst I don't think that'll change, I'd back the contest to end in a draw. Klopp though can pick up a point and begin to implement some changes that could force his established players to wake up and rediscover their best form. Prediction 1-1.
Freddie Keighley
Tempting as it may be, Jurgen Klopp cannot risk Diogo Jota by thrusting him into the starting XI to face Everton. The Portuguese forward must be nurtured back into action following a lengthy injury lay-off, meaning the Reds must persist with their goal-shy front line of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
Although they have not clicked in recent weeks, there is plenty of quality there and they will come good again, while Liverpool's more glaring issues are in other areas. With Thiago injured, Jordan Henderson will need to be at his industrious best alongside breakout star Stefan Bajcetic and Naby Keita in the midfield three if a resurgent Everton - who ran Arsenal ragged over a week ago - are to be contained at Anfield.
It will be crucial to keep the distance between the midfield and a leaky defence to a minimum and, even if an unpopular tactic at home, look to counter-attack rather than dominate possession, as the Reds have looked just as vulnerable with the ball as without it since the turn of the year. Prediction: 2-1
Colin Millar
James Tarkowski scored the winner against Arsenal last weekend (AFP via Getty Images)Jurgen Klopp is at the lowest point of his seven-and-a-half years in the Anfield dugout and for the first time in that lengthy tenure, appears to have a team lacking any identity and with players who are not responding to his instructions.
A top four finish is not beyond them in the closing months of the season – they are 12 points from the Champions League places but with two matches in hand – but not unless their performance undergo a dramatic transformation in a quick period of time.
Thiago Alcantara’s injury is the latest blow to expose a fragile midfield and a team shot of confidence, energy and self-belief. They cannot be seen as favourites against Everton, re-energised under Sean Dyche and fresh off the back of deservedly beating Arsenal.
Jordan Henderson is likely to replace Thiago to shore up the Reds in the middle third but such are the injury limitations, the rest of the line-up is likely to pick itself. Despite Everton’s lowly league position, the context of recent form will buoy them ahead of the trip. Prediction 1-1.