Key events
Jurgen Kloppâs final Merseyside derby, of course, his 19th.
Record won 11, drawn six, lost one.
For Everton: Ashley Young, after his lucky escapes at Forest, is replaced at right-back by Ben Godfrey and James Garner comes in for Andre Gomes in midfield. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is fit to start.
For Liverpool: Six changes from Fulham. Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Ibrahima Konate all come in.
Out: Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott and Jarrell Quansah, with Diogo Jota unavailable.
The teams
Everton: Pickford, Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Harrison, Gueye, Garner, McNeil, Doucoure, Calvert-Lewin. Subs: Keane, Onana, Danjuma, Virginia, Young, Andre Gomes, Chermiti, Warrington, Hunt.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Jones, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah, Nunez, Diaz. Subs: Gomez, Endo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Clark, Kelleher, Danns, Quansah.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
For those who count these things, and this is the only derby that seems to count up, this is the the 244th Merseyside derby.
Liverpool are chasing their 100th win, Everton their 68th. The 0-0 would be a 78th draw.
All-time top-scorer: Ian Rush, 25, next best Dixie Dean on 19
Currently playing top scorer: Mohamed Salah on 7.
Hereâs the talk about a successor to Jurgen Klopp.
Early team news:
For Everton: Dominic Calvert-Lewin is an injury doubt, problematic when Beto will miss the next two games in line with head injury protocols.
For Liverpool: Diogo Jotaâs dead-eye finishing will be missed after his goal against Fulham though aside from Conor Bradleyâs absence, Klopp has a full deck available, beyond the likes of Thiago and and Stefan Bajcetic.
Liverpool cannot go top of the table, barring a 13-0 win.
Everton can pull away from the bottom three.
Preamble
Good evening. How many headlines can fit the word âSlotâ in? Liverpool are moving fast, it seems, with appointing a new manager, but what about the outgoing bloke? Thereâs still a title race to be fought for. And Jurgen Klopp is no quitter. The weekendâs defeat of Fulham recharged hopes and batteries. Talking of which, so did Evertonâs defeat of Nottingham Forest, achieved by a long-range goal from an Idrissa Gueye long-ranger and a Dwight McNeil strike. And/Or the dread hand of Stuart Attwell according to certain conspiracy theorists in the City Ground inner sanctum. Everton play Luton next week, the game that probably decides their fate. Before that the Merseyside derby, the one at Goodison that usually finishes 0-0. It has, four of the last six years. We all know the drill: Liverpool attacking, Everton defending doggedly and some bad tackles flying in, and being waved away by refs when normally the cards would be being waved. Thatâs bad tackles by both teams, by the way.
Kick-off is 8pm, Merseyside time. Join me.
