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Liverpool vs Everton

Match Preview

Everton's hectic fortnight continues on Tuesday evening with a trip across Stanley Park for the second Merseyside derby of the season where the prize for a Blues victory will be seventh place at Liverpool's expense.

Despite just edging their way past Championship side Cardfiff on penalties in the Carling Cup Final two weeks ago, Kenny Dalglish's men are struggling through a slump in League form that has seen them win just once in eight League games; indeed, if the season had started on 1st January, the Reds would be in the bottom three.

Everton, by contrast, are in their best form of the campaign. The win over Tottenham on Saturday lifted David Moyes's side to a ninth game without defeat in all competitions and to within two points of their bitter local rivals in the Premier League.

All of which, of course, could be rendered moot in the heat of a local derby where the form book usually goes out the window. And though the incentives have always been there for Everton, they have found victory at Anfield elusive under Moyes's decade in charge. The Blues' last win over on the dark side was almost 13 years ago and there could be no better present to mark Moyes's 10-year anniversary this week than his first win on Liverpool's home turf.

The manager is aided by his squad's cleanest bill of health for many a week, with only Darron Gibson definitely ruled out with the knee injury that will likely keep him sidelined beyond Saturday's FA Cup quarter final tie with Sunderland.

Steven Pienaar is back in the side after being ineligible for the Spurs game and Victor Anichebe has overcome his latest niggly injury to offer a more physical option on the right flank than Royston Drenthe if Moyes opts for power over the pace of Seamus Coleman. Drenthe's unpredictability could move his manager to drop the him back to the bench for this one.

Having taken the plaudits for this efforts against Spurs, Leon Osman should keep his central midfield spot alongside Marouane Fellaini in what is expected to be a largely unchanged starting XI.

Up front, Nikica Jelavic should be fit to make what will be only his second start despite being withdrawn towards the end of Saturday's game after picking up an apparent knock. Should there by any doubt about his fitness, Denis Stracqualursi would get the nod to partner Tim Cahill.

For their part, Liverpool will be hoping that their linchpin Steven Gerrard will be sufficiently fit after recovering from a hamstring strain but Daniel Agger and Lucas Lieva are ruled out.

Evertonian minds will inevitably turn back to the reverse fixture in October when Martin Atkinson's disgraceful decision to send off Jack Rodwell for a perfectly legal challenge destroyed the match as a contest after just 22 minutes and condemned the Blues to defeat.

Though the thirst for revenge will be hard to sate, it is of paramount of importance that Everton keep their heads and rise above the blood and thunder that usually accompanies these local battles. With the weekend's FA Cup clash in mind and two tricky League games to follow, avoiding injuries and suspensions is going to be crucial.

With just one defeat in their last five games away from home and an impressive defensive record since the turn of the year, the Blues have the foundation on which to exploit any cracks in Liverpool morale — they just need to get things to come together in the opponent's area and perhaps nick an early goal to quickly get the Reds on the ropes.

Lyndon Lloyd

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