Match Preview
Premier League football returns this weekend, Storm Babet permitting, with Everton travelling the short distance across Stanley Park to their old ground for the Anfield derby.
As of Friday evening, the game is still going ahead as scheduled, with the North West only under an Amber weather warning with “persistent heavy rain” and the “likelihood of some flooding” expected overnight.
The Blues will once again be close to full strength, with Idrissa Gueye available again after being forced out of the win over Bournemouth with a foot injury sustained in the warm-up.
The midfielder came on a 78th-minute substitute for Senegal in their 1-0 friendly win over Cameroon in Lens on Monday and should be fit for selection by Sean Dyche should he opt to include him in the starting XI.
The manager faces a selection dilemma in that area of the pitch these days when all four of Gueye, James Garner, Amadou Onana, Jack Harrison and Abdoulaye Doucouré are all fit. Prior to Harrison overcoming the hip injury that prevented him from making his debut for the Blues until the Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa last month, Garner was the easy choice in right midfield but it’s much more of a selection headache these days.
Dyche was, of course, giving nothing away in his press conference today but he once again praised Garner for his versatility and application so far this season.
“I really happy for Jimmy and his progress,” Dyche said.
“When I got here he’d been injured. I knew of him from the season before at Forest. I went there quite a bit that season while I was having a rest and he was performing there. His adaptability for a young player is very pleasing. I’ve always seen him mainly in a central role but I do like the flexibility of him.
“He’s a player that can use that wisely and he does. He’s been very open to use it for us and has worked very hard in the positions and he’s growing into what he is. That’s a very good footballer in my opinion.”
Dyche referenced the five-man defensive system he employed at Villa in the Cup and that is another option open to him as he plots a way to hurt Liverpool. That evening Nathan Patterson was deployed at right wing-back but that could be a job for Harrison if the gaffer decides to go with that same formation on Saturday.
The almost clean bill of health – Seamus Coleman had his first session back with the first team this week and will need time to get closer to match fitness while Dele Alli and André Gomes remain some way away from being ready – means that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is fit to play a part in his first Merseyside derby since Everton’s last win at Anfield more than 2½ years ago.
Dyche is under no illusions about the size of the task facing Everton in the lunchtime kick-off, not only because of their poor record on Liverpool’s turf so far this century but also because Jürgen Klopp’s men have been in rich goalscoring form this term.
With five wins and just one defeat so far, they are in the thick of the early running for the title this season. They can be susceptible defensively at times, however, as was shown by Brighton last time out and will be without first-choice left-back Andrew Robertson who is ruled out through injury and Diogo Jota who is suspended. That is something the Toffees’ boss will look to exploit, particularly in transition and at set-pieces.
“It’s been a long time with not many wins,” Dyche admitted. “But it’s a tough place to go and I don’t think we’ll be listening to the noise around it, we’re trying not to anyway. But there is a lot of noise, rightly so.
“It’s a big game but it’s more about our focus to get through that and concentrate on our performance because, generally, I think they’ve been strong. We are taking on a top side.”
Kick-off: 12:30pm, Saturday 21 October 2023
Referee: Craig Pawson
VAR: David Coote
Last Time: Liverpool 2 – 0 Everton
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Harrison, McNeil, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin