Preview: Everton vs Liverpool

The Merseyside derby has arrived once again as Liverpool head down the road to Goodison to take on Everton.

Everton vs Liverpool

| Sunday, March 3rd |
Premier League | Goodison Park
4:15PM GMT/11:15AM EST

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The time has come for another Merseyside derby, and Liverpool’s blue neighbors would want nothing more than to put a dent in Liverpool’s title dreams by beating them when they head to Goodison Park on Sunday. The derby is always a heated affair — though one that the Reds come out of on top, more often than not.

Worth noting is that the last derby hero, Divock Origi, who scored the winner in the 96th minute at Anfield, may get his second start in a row if Roberto Firmino is not deemed fit in time. Origi scored in Wednesday’s match against Watford, which the Reds won 5-0, so he’ll be itching to keep that good form going if he does get another run out.

Liverpool remain locked in a death battle with Manchester City for the title, and if they want to maintain their lead, they need to come away from this match with all three points.

Everton had their own fun midweek when they beat Cardiff City in Wales on Tuesday. Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a brace for his team, netting a goal in each half, to get the Toffees three points and send them into ninth place in the league.

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Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Fabinho; Salah, Origi, Mané

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The fates of Dejan Lovren and Roberto Firmino in this game are as yet unknown. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see either of them deemed fit enough to start this match.

Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain definitely won’t be in the mix though.

Marco Silva will only be without Leighton Baines for this match, with Kurt Zouma returning from a one-game suspension in order to play.

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What the Managers Had to Say

Jurgen Klopp: “Of course, the fans of Everton don’t want us to win anything and probably for our fans it’s the same the other way. But in the game, it’s only very emotional and passionate.

”I hope it will be like that, that’s how football should be. At Goodison they really support their team, so now let’s go there and use the atmosphere of course. It will be loud, it will be wild, it will be everything - and we have to deliver on the pitch as well.”

Marco Silva: “It is a special game for both, for the city also, for our fans a special match, for their fans also a special match. I managed my first Merseyside derby last December and what I felt was a special match for both teams.”

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The Officials

Referee: Martin Atkinson Assistants: Stephen Child, Lee Betts Fourth official: Paul Tierney

Kickoff is set for 4:15PM GMT/11:15AM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com