Brutal Mersey derby will see knives out for Rafa
Though Everton manager Rafa Benítez' presence in the home dugout puts a different spin on the normally testy Merseyside derby between the Toffees and Liverpool, the hosts' simply awful form in tandem with the Reds being at their rampant best makes the contest on Wednesday night at Goodison Park one of the most one-sided on paper between the clubs in the Premier League. Read our preview here:
Iwo is me
It is reasonable to suggest that recent poor results have been underlined by a number of key men often being missing in the XI, but that doesn't go the full way to explaining the performances. The weekend's meek surrender to Brentford ought to have been by a wider margin, and the Bees were very rarely troubled directly. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's absence up top robs them of a focal point, but Benítez should be able to welcome back Richarlison. The Brazilian forward will be supported by Alex Iwobi in a cautious 4-4-1-1 shape, and the latter has just a single goal to his name in 11 total appearances in the league during 2021/2022. Far more deftness and guile is going to be required for the home team to even get close to their rivals' final third in any meaningful way, and even the set piece route doesn't look nearly as potent without centre back Yerry Mina on the end of them.
Jota and hotter
As for Jürgen Klopp's men, they now sit just two points off Chelsea as the title race narrows in all likelihood to one of those and Manchester City. They blew away Southampton 4-0 on Saturday in a routine win, and have scored 10 without reply across all competitions since that thrilling defeat at West Ham United. The only question mark in terms of selection is whether Thiago will start in midfield; there are rumours that Klopp will look for another rotation option in the middle of the park in January, with Juventus' out-of-favour Aaron Ramsey heavily linked. It is probably the only area currently with any kind of weakness, especially as Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to have the assist output of a playmaker deployed much further forward. Diogo Jota brings a different threat to the one Roberto Firmino poses as the nominal central striker, especially aerially. The Portuguese international has been lethal for both club and country in 2021/2022, and should profit greatly from Mina's absence in the opposition's backline.
Rafa's final serve?
It's difficult to wax lyrical about Liverpool in a way that hasn't been written about them a thousand times by other pundits. The real focus of this game is actually on Everton and a pressing need to at least give their fans some hope. Few but the most ardent expect anything from this derby, and the odds reflect that - Parimatch have 2.4 for their rivals to score over 2.5 goals.
