Everton vs Liverpool analysis: Five key battles and score prediction

This Saturday marks the 245th Merseyside derby as Everton host Liverpool in the last-ever edition of the famous rivalry at Goodison Park.

The game looks to be a mismatch on paper, with it 1st against 15th in the Premier League table, but the two rivals have an even record in the derby at Goodison and both will be looking to gain historical bragging rights.

Everton come into the clash with some confidence after a 4-0 win against Wolves in midweek while Liverpool were disappointing in a 3-3 draw at Newcastle.

Below, Sports News Blitz writer Jon Shea outlines five key battles to anticipate and offers a score prediction.

Vitaly Mykolenko vs Mohamed Salah

Salah is in inspired form this season and continues to be the main man at Liverpool.

With his contract running out at the end of the campaign and uncertainty swirling regarding his future, the Egyptian is doing his talking on the pitch.

Indeed, after a brace in the midweek draw at Newcastle, Salah is now the league’s top scorer with thirteen goals.

Profoundly difficult to stop when he is on song, Liverpool’s talisman poses an obvious threat to the Toffees’ defence this weekend, especially considering his good derby record.

Mykolenko will be the man in charge of stifling Salah and, although he did keep the Egyptian quiet in last season’s Goodison derby, the Ukrainian full-back is set for a tough time on Saturday.

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Idrissa Gueye vs Curtis Jones

At the ripe old age of 35, Gueye is still a vital player for Everton.

In spite of his years, the Senegalese international remains adept at getting around the pitch and breaking up opposition play.

As one of Dyche’s undroppables, Gueye will play a key role against Liverpool and is likely to be tasked with keeping the in-form Jones quiet.

Jones, for his part, has been nothing short of a revelation in midfield this season, with his all-round play going up a level under new manager Slot.

The Dutchman’s controlled style clearly suits Jones, who is averaging 95% for pass accuracy this term and is increasingly finding his way into the box, as illustrated by his recent goal against Newcastle.

Furthermore, as a scouser, Jones knows what this game means to the fans and Everton will have to keep a watchful eye on him if they want to get anything out of Saturday’s match.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin vs Virgil van Dijk

Calvert-Lewin is on one of those runs where a player just cannot find the back of the net.

Frustratingly for the Englishman, although he was instrumental in two of Everton’s goals against Wolves, both ultimately went down as Craig Dawson own goals.

Having not scored since he netted at Villa Park back in September, Calvert-Lewin has now gone ten games without a goal, but he will take confidence from his winning strike in April’s derby.

Van Dijk, however, is having a typically phenomenal season and will no doubt offer Calvert-Lewin nothing at Goodison.

He is likely to be without his regular centre-back partner in Ibrahima Konate, with either Joe Gomez or Jarrell Quansah ready to step in, but that matters little to the supreme Dutchman.

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Jarrad Branthwaite vs Darwin Nunez

Nunez continues to split opinion at Liverpool on account of his enduring wastefulness, a trait that is all the more vexing considering his pace, power, and movement.

Yet, with just two league goals to his name this season, the Uruguayan leads the line for Liverpool week in and week out because Slot obviously sees something in him.

Branthwaite, on the other hand, is still feeling his way back into the team after recovering from an injury he picked up in pre-season.

Admittedly, he already looked good on Wednesday when he kept the Wolves forwards quiet on the way to a clean sheet.

Everton fans will thus be hoping that Branthwaite and James Tarkowski can recapture their partnership from last season in order to keep Liverpool at bay this weekend.

Sean Dyche vs Arne Slot

The first managerial meeting between Dyche and Slot is sure to be an interesting tactical battle.

It is expected that Liverpool will have the lion’s share of possession in the match and look to break down a limited Everton side with pace and energy.

Dyche is likely to set up his team with two banks of four, pinning any hopes for a result on their set-piece game — an approach that rewarded them with four goals in the midweek victory over Wolves.

Slot will have Trent Alexander-Arnold available from the start again after the Englishman pulled off a decent cameo at Newcastle. Unfortunately, both Allison Becker and Konate remain unavailable.

Interestingly, Liverpool have appeared unsettled in their last two away games against Southampton and Newcastle, leaking five goals in the process, but whether or not Dyche and Everton can apply the boost from the Wolves win to Saturday’s derby remains to be seen.

Summary

While I firmly believe that Everton can get something out of the match, I think that a win against this Liverpool side is a tough ask.

The atmosphere at Goodison might just drag the Toffees to a positive result but, with seven of the last 11 Merseyside derbies at the ground ending in a stalemate, I am going with a score draw on Saturday.

Score prediction: Everton 1-1 Liverpool